The Flight of the Crimson Assurance
by DarkXVulcanJediKnightofEregion
Summary: Spock has disappeared near the Romulan Neutral Zone. He gets found by...well, if I told you you wouldn't want to read it, now would you? Written in First Person narrative.
1. Chapter 1

The Flight of the Crimson Assurance 

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, it belongs to the late, great Gene Roddenberry and to Paramount. The title for this FanFiction belongs to a Monty Pythons short by the same name, I have ahem borrowed it for my own personal pleasure. All the other characters are MINE! The names have been recycled from other stories that I have written (because A. I hate writing names and B. I really like these), though the characters bear no resemblance to their doppelgangers in said stories.

A/N: This is written in a first person point of view, but, as I needed to explain things that are going on outside of that person's experiences, all things in **Bold** are in Third Person and are going on unbeknownst to the Protagonist. Thoughts, as usual, are in _Italics_. Also, I have no clue where the thousands of star bases are, so I am randomly assigning numbers to them. If that offends you and you feel the need to correct me, feel free, but frankly, if you know that much about StarTrek, you need to get out more. Now, enough with the notes, on to the story.

Prologue

**"What do you mean you can't find him?" **

**"What I said, Bones, Star base Six has no record of him arriving. He's overdue, and we can't find him."**

**"So, you're just going to sit here and not make any…"**

**"DOCTOR! You are dangerously close to insubordination. Don't you think that I want to go find him? Starfleet has given me strict orders to patrol this section of the Neutral Zone and I can NOT leave. The Enterprise has to stay here."**

**"And Starfleet is just willing to leave him out there? Star Base Six is ON the damn Neutral Zone, what if the Romulans got him?"**

**"I don't know, Bones. If I could, I would go find him in a heartbeat, but…"**

**"So that's it?"**

**"Yes, for now, at least. We have to stay here."**

**"Spock's gone…"**

Chapter 1

I Hate Mondays

The first thought that popped into my head was that I was going to strangle Kor as soon as I got onto the bridge. And seeming how Kor was a bloody Klingon, you could imagine how bloody mad I was. I only get about four to five hours of sleep on this ship and having them interrupted by an over imaginative junior officer makes me want to commit homicide. Still, I have to answer that bloody com.

"Yeah?"

"Major, sorry to interrupt you, but, well…"

"Spit it out, Kor."

"We've picked up a blip on long range scanners."

"If you woke me up to tell me that you have an asteroid…"

"No, major, it's not that. The computer has ID'ed it as a Star Fleet shuttle." That got my interest. "And long range sensors also indicate that there may be a Romulan War Bird heading towards it." That really woke me up. Night fights were always fun, yeah, right. So maybe I won't strangle him…this time.

"Alright, I'll be up in a minute. Rouse the bridge staff, and have Carpenter on standby, Keath out." I rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes, shoved on my boots and grabbed a cup of coffee while I headed out the door. I had half finished my coffee when I practically slammed into Gunner. The young man looked like he was still asleep and only mumbled a "Mornin', Major" as we both entered the turbo shaft. The doors were closing as Pilot slipped in. She, at least, looked half-awake. She bobbed a salutation in my direction while elbowing her brother back into consciousness. Gunner gave a grunt of protest at the abuse and leaned against the wall, still trying to sleep. I laughed to myself. These two were the best helm crew I had ever encountered and they were constantly bickering, picking, hitting, and competing with each other, but if you ever threaten one you get destroyed by both. Pilot and Gunner displayed the epitome of sibling rivalry, which was uproariously funny to the crew. And I wouldn't have them any other way.

The doors opened to bridge, I strode out with the siblings behind me. The bridge was filled with a group of people who looked like they would rather be curled up in their various beds than sitting here ready to engage a War Bird. Not that I was worried, my guys always woke up when the time came. The bridge was split-level; helm, weapons, communications, and scanners were on the lower half while engineering and tech stations were on the upper. My chair was on the lower, in the middle, where I could be in the action.

"Right, what's the layout?"

Kor, at scanners, answered, "The Romulan War Bird is approximately two trillion leagues away and closing fast, speed estimated at warp three. The shuttle is approximately one and a half million leagues, status is dead. Scanners report that the War Bird is unaware of our presence."

"Life on the shuttle?"

"Yes, Major. One life count, faint readings, though." I sighed; this wasn't worth getting the bridge crew up for. The layout was almost too much in our favor.

"Pilot, fix on that shuttle, put us in right next to it and get a tractor beam locked on. Then get us the hell out of here as fast as you can without losing the shuttle." Pilot moved almost faster than I could order. She appeared to already know what I wanted, I smiled. Best in the world. I could feel my ship jump in and out and in a few seconds we were back where we started, plus one shuttle.

"Kor, any sight of that Romulan on our tail?" There was a pause.

"No, Major, nothing. I don't think they even knew that the shuttle was there."

"Good," I paused as the turbo doors opened and adressed the occupant. "Duo, you're late." My chief of engineering grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, boss, had to find a shirt, laundry didn't return mine."

"Well, you can go back, there's not much left to do up here."

"Thanks," he turned to go back to his room and got hit in the head by my well-placed coffee cup.

"You ever show up late on my bridge again and I'll have your hide," my growl became a grin. "Got that, imp?"

"Sure thing, boss, whatever you say." Duo scooted off the bridge before I could throw anything else at him. Gunner, now more awake than before, was shaking in silent laughter.

"You find something funny, Mister?"

"Yeah." He said between snickering. "You're cup still had coffee in it, and now it's all down Duo's back." I smiled to myself; I already knew that. I stood up.

"Alright, people, pack it up. Pilot steer that shuttle into bay one and set 'er down gently."

"Will do." She turned back to her panel.

"Com, tell the good doctor that I would like to see him in bay one." Hannah, my very pretty communications officer, nodded her head in acknowledgement and sent out my order.

I had now committed myself to the fact that I was not going to get any sleep this night watch, and so I decided to pester my good doctor with my presence and persistent questioning. Doctor John Carpenter, the ship's CMO was the only person on my vessel who had any professional training. Why he decided to throw in with our motley lot was beyond me, but I enjoyed his company, and he saved more members of my crew than I could comprehend. He was an excellent surgeon, quiet and dedicated to the healing arts, and one of the few men that I trust with my life. He was, at this moment, standing in the midst of about twelve armed guards in the middle of bay one, near the shuttle. When I walked up, the guards quietly stepped backwards, giving the doctor and me some talking room.

"Keath, I don't like the fact that all these goons are here when there's…"

"I know, Doc, I know. It bites, you hate it, I'm sorry, that's just how things are done here. Look, if it makes you feel any better I'll make them back off, 'kay?" The doctor begrudgingly gave his consent, not that I needed it, and I shooed the "goons" away from the shuttle. A technician, I think his name is Bobby, cautiously walked over.

"Major, should I, I mean, do you want…me to…open the…"

"Shuttle up? Yes please do." What was it with younger officers and getting tongue tied around me? I didn't get it. Bobby walked over to the side of the shuttle and carefully loosened the control panel. He quickly crossed some circuits and, in essence, hot-wired the door open. The top and bottom separated to allow us inside the craft. Carpenter dashed in as soon as he could fit through the opening, took one look at the single occupant and hollered "GET ME A STRETCHER, NOW!" Two of the guards grabbed a stretcher from the side of the wall (they were strategically placed all over the ship) and brought it to the door for the doctor to use.

"Keath, can you help me get him out?" I climbed in looked down at the prone form at my feet. The occupant of the shuttle had been thrown from his command seat by some hell of a force. He was either Romulan or Vulcan by his appearance, the StarFleet uniform, however, suggested the fact that he was the latter. Green bruises and blood covered the half of his face that I could see, and it had spilled over a great deal of the floor. I stooped to pick him up by his shoulders when Carpenter halted me.

"Watch it! I think his right shoulder is dislocated, here you take his feet, I'll carry his torso." We exchanged places, carefully, I had no desire to hurt the Vulcan further or slip on his blood. I gently grabbed his feet and positioned myself to lift him as soon as Carpenter gave me the word. "Right, on three. One, Two, Lift." We elevated the Vulcan and carried him gently to the stretcher where the guards took his weight.

"Get him to sickbay on the double." Carpenter went back inside the shuttle and began to take samples of the blood that was on the floor.

"Doc? What are you doing?" I asked, almost skeptically. You have the patient why do you need his blood too?

"Gotta take blood samples if I'm gonna replicate it properly." He answered coming out. "That kid lost about four to five pints of the stuff and if I don't get some back into him soon, we could lose him." He moved to go. "I'll give you an update on his status as soon as I know it." How could he always answer my questions before I ask them?

The bay was now teeming with life; guards, techs, and a couple of people from engineering were standing quietly around the perimeter of the room. Guess I gotta give 'em something to do…

"Alright, people, listen up. First, I want two people from security with that Vulcan at all times, and if the good doctor gives you hell about it tell him he can yell at me later. Techs, we what you can get me from the computer, the logs, engines, and anything else. I want to know where this shuttle came from, where it's headed, and why it looks like someone shot the crap out of it. The rest of you can keep an eye on things going on down here. Report to Duo or the bridge if you find anything. Got it? Good." I walked out of the bay and wandered around the ship. My ship. I loved her when most everyone was asleep, so quiet and peaceful. I yawned. The initial adrenaline from two hours ago had finally worn off. I had barely made it back to bed when I fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I hate Tuesdays, too.

I woke up about seven or eight hours later. Odd, André should have gotten me up before this. Usually my first officer rouses me the moment morning watch begins. Guess he decided to be merciful and let me sleep. Lying there I could feel the pulse of my ship around me, she was awake and moving, her crew alive and happy. The effects of our take last night had already spread through the crew. For some reason, snatching a prize, even one as small as a shuttle, from beneath a Romulan's nose was invigorating. The com snapped me out of my reverie. I've gotta get a mute button for that thing. I rolled over and hit the button, "Yeah?"

"Keath? Carpenter, you might wanna come down here. I've got something you are definitely going to want to see." The good doctor had that edge of excitement in his voice that told me that I needed to get to sickbay pronto.

"Right, Doc, I'll be there in a sec." I clicked off the com unit and got out of bed. Having neglected to change last night, getting to sickbay was easier than expected. I strolled in to find a very energetic CMO racing towards me.

"What's up, Doc?" I asked with the slightest bit of mirth in my voice. I only got to see this side of Carpenter when he either A was looking over the data from some new species that we encountered or B found the cure to some particularly strange virus that had been ravaging the crew for weeks. It was the excitement of a new discovery, a break-though, a solved puzzle. But there was something else in his manner. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it wasn't normal.

"I was trying to synthesize blood for our guest for the past five hours but I couldn't get the mix right. There was something very strange about his genetic makeup that was throwing off the corpuscle and white-blood cell count..."

"Whoa, hold up. Gimme the short version, and in English please." The only thing I couldn't stand about Carpenter was the fact that he would ramble on and on in medical lingo and not really care about the rest of us not being able to understand him. It was very annoying and I learned, through years of experience, to cut him off at the pass, so to speak.

"Sorry, basically, this kid's only half-Vulcan."

"So? You deal with half's all the time."

"Yes, but not this type. His other half is humanoid." Now that was weird.

"Human? That seems like a contradiction. What Vulcan in their right mind would marry a human?"

"Beats me. But we've got the proof that it happened sitting right here." He gestured to the beds behind him.

"So, what's his condition? Is he going to make it?"

"Oh, yes, he'll be fine, I think." Bad choice of words to hear a doctor say.

"'You think'?"

"Well, physically speaking, he'll be fine. He's in a kind of healing trance right now, should be coming out of it soon. I've got him doped up on enough sedatives and antibiotics to keep him from either feeling pain or developing any kind of infection. He should make a full physical recovery. What I'm not sure about is whether or not he'll make a full mental recovery."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Come here, I'll show you." Carpenter led me over to a computer terminal. He sat down and pulled up about five different files. "I took these tests, all standard, to find out the extent of the damage. All that basically consisted of a dislocated shoulder and some torn ligaments and muscles around that shoulder, I don't think he will be able to use his left arm for about a week. He has three cracked ribs on his left side, but nothing really damaging. What I'm really worried about is this." He pulled up what looked very much like an X-ray of the Vulcan's skull. "You see this line here?" he pointed to a thin white stripe across the back of his skull. "This is a very long skull fracture, and a very dangerous one at that. Skull injuries release a ton a blood into the brain, and, what this is telling me is that there may have been a great deal of damage done to his cerebral cortex. I think that this guy is going to have a pretty potent case amnesia. Unless he had some incredible luck, he won't remember anything for a long time."

"That's not good, John." I just used his first name; I must be really serious about this. "Is there anything that you can do?"

The doctor sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Brain trauma has to resolve itself. There is nothing that I can do except wait. Actually, I think that you can do more than I can."

"What do you mean?"

"When he wakes up, the first thing that he needs is a friendly face. If he feels threatened or anxious, that will reverse any good that is body is trying to do. He also needs to be put into situations that would be normal for him. The brain learns through association. If he comes into contact with familiar things, some memories may be sparked, which could then snowball into more memories."

"And how do I fit into all of this? Doc, I'm a soldier, not a brain surgeon."

"I know that. I only want you to be there when he wakes up. Talk to him, find out if he remembers anything, and, if not, offer to help him remember. Also, find out what is familiar and get him into contact with those things on a regular basis. You're the CO, you can do all that."

"Let me rephrase that. I'm a soldier not a psychiatrist. The only thing I know about memories is that I hate mine."

"But he may like his. Not knowing who you are or where you come from is a very painful place to be. I'm not asking for an expert on this, Keath, I'm asking for a friend. Please, help me help him." I sighed; there was no escaping Carpenter when he was in one of his save-everyone-from-everything moods.

I touched the com link, "André?"

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna be busy in sickbay for the rest of the day, can you mind the shop for me?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, call me when if anything big happens."

"Done."

"Alright, Doc, you got yourself some help. What do I do?"

I don't really like sickbay that much. I don't know why. It just seems so cold and sterile and quiet. It's deathly quiet. When my ship was built, I had sickbay surrounded by a thick wall of noise canceling materials to keep the patients asleep while we were fighting. But, what seemed like a good idea at the time was now creeping me out. I felt like I was cut off from the rest of my ship. I had been sitting in the same room as the Vulcan for the past three hours. I was bored out of my mind by the first twenty minutes and had decided to do something that I never had time for: reading. Reading was one of the pleasures that ship captains get denied. We are either too busy with paperwork or fighting or raiding or keeping our ships from being torn apart at the seams. Needless to say, I had a long list of books to catch up on and was proceeding to do so while waiting for the Vulcan to awaken. Thus, I was deeply immersed with the throws of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain by hour five when I got the impression that something wasn't right. I tried to keep reading, hoping that whatever this feeling was, that I would pass. But it didn't, if anything it got stronger and more apparent. Someone was watching me. I looked up sharply to find that my fellow inmate was staring at me. I had never really gotten a good look at his face before; it was either hidden behind a facade of blood or deadened by sedatives. But now, now it was different. His eyes made his face live, they were inquisitive, though hidden behind levels of pain and confusion, very human, very…afraid?

"Welcome back to the land of the living," I said as gently as I could. There was fear in his eyes, though it was hidden deeper than any other emotion I could see. He blinked, like he was trying to focus on me. I stood up from the terminal where I had been reading and moved over closer to him.

"Where…where am I?" His voice was a deep baritone, gravelly almost, choked with pain and slurred by the sedatives.

"You're in sickbay aboard the pirate ship Crimson Assurance." He blinked slowly.

"Pirate?" The voice was now a whisper, I could read confusion all over his face.

"Yeah, pirates. But don't worry, we're not all that bad. And no one's going to hurt you here." He closed his eyes for so long that I thought he had drifted back into sleep. I was about to go back and read some more when I saw his eyes open again.

"You are…the captain?" He seemed to be struggling for words, or fighting to stay conscious, I couldn't tell which.

"I'm Major Harper, commanding officer of the Assurance. You should really get some sleep." He looked just about dead where he lay, the sedatives were finally kicking in like they were supposed to.

"Am I a prisoner here, Major?" By the look in his eyes, that question was laying heavily on his mind at the moment. I needed to answer it in a way that would give him some peace.

"No, right now, you're a patient, and I suggest you sleep. We can discuss your status when you feel better." That looked like it hit home. The tension on his face relaxed slightly as he closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep. I went and sat down to keep reading.

Carpenter told me to go to bed around midnight. "I've got our guest drugged so bad that he probably won't wake up 'til tomorrow afternoon. You won't do any good if you're half-dead yourself. Go get some sleep." I had stopped arguing with the doctor on medical matters a long time ago. And after finishing Yankee and getting halfway through Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, bed was looking mighty inviting right now.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, I do not own Crime and Punishment or A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, only copies of those books. I do own, however, all the pirates and the ship and the plot and the…well that's about all I own actually…

Chapter 3

Wednesdays are only slightly better

I was becoming very intimate with sickbay; it's once eerie silence was now a symphony of quiet noises that blended together to form a very pleasing melody to read by. I could see why Carpenter lived here. It was becoming a sanctuary instead of a prison, I just can never tell him that. I had finished Crime, and was very eyesore, by mid afternoon. I was staring off into space when I felt that presence again. The Vulcan was awake again. I left my reading terminal and sat on an empty bed next to him.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" He still had pain and confusion in his eyes, but it was only in traces, not as evident as they were yesterday.

"Better, I believe." His voice was still that gravely baritone, but neither laced with so much pain, nor as slurred. He was staring at me, and for some reason, it felt perfectly natural. Odd, usually when people stare at me I have the sudden urge to shoot them. Got into a lot of fights that way. He spoke again, "Should not the captain of a vessel be on the bridge?"

I grinned, "Yeah I should, but I enjoy making sure that my guests are as comfortable as possible. You were pretty stoned last night, so I came back to check on you."

"'Stoned'?" He looked at me quizzically.

"Stoned, um, out of it, drugged, delusional, cognitively challenged, sick." He looked away from my face to digest this. Gave me the time to study him. Carpenter or one of his assistants had changed the bandages on his face and cleaned up all the residue of blood. He had a calming face, stoic but not bland. It was somewhat long, which added to the calming aspect of it, with high cheekbones and deep set eyes. The Vulcan haircut and eyebrows gave him a devilish appearance but his eyes; there was something about his eyes that I could not place.

"So," I started, "You got a name?" My question evoked a cacophony of emotion that played out across his face. I probably could have timed it better, but I needed to know the extent of his amnesia, if he had any, and that was the only question I could think of at the time.

He looked back over at me. "I…I cannot remember…what my name is." The eyebrows drew together, he was thinking hard and I could tell that it hurt. "I cannot remember who I am…or where I am from…" He was forcing his voice to be calm, but there was fear in it. I needed to help him and I had no idea how.

"Alright, calm down. It's gonna be okay."

"How can you be certain of that statement?"

"Because I'm a pirate, and I can bloody well make anything bloody well happen."

"That statement is illogical." I grinned, the fear in his voice and on his face was gone.

"So? Piracy is illogical. If you're gonna stay here you better get used to it."

"I…I am staying here?"

"Well, where the hell else are you going to go? I can't have an amnesiac Vulcan wandering around the galaxy. That's stupid. No, you're staying here until you get your memory back and I'm gonna help you all I can."

"How?"

I shrugged, "To tell you the truth, I'm making this up as I go." He had that quizzical look again, I had a feeling that I was gonna see that a lot.

"If I will be residing here," he said at last, "I believe I shall need a name."

"Yeah, I guess you will." He was staring at me almost expectantly. "Whoa, you want ME to name you?"

"I cannot name myself, as I do not remember any names that would be acceptable, nor do I wish to choose one which the members of your crew would find offensive or incoherent."

"Dude, my crew is made up of the dregs of the galaxy, names don't offend us and I've heard just about every name ever conceived."

"Then you would be the better candidate to devise a name for me." I suddenly remembered why I didn't like Vulcans, too much logic. I sighed and began to mentally list all the names that would be somewhat acceptable to him. I can't believe I'm doing this. What the hell do I know about naming people, much less an adult, male, logic spouting, bloody living computer. I stood up and began pacing the length of the room. I knew that he was watching me and probably getting dizzy from my travelling back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and now I'm getting dizzy.

"What about…" I stopped, that wouldn't do, I paced some more. "Or…no…that won't work." More pacing, "How about…?" More pacing and then I stopped abruptly. "Saul."

"Saul?" There's that look again. He seemed to be digesting the name with all its connotations.

"Yeah, Saul, what do you think? Good?" I paused, if he said no then it meant more pacing.

"It is acceptable."

"Thanks, I think. Well, Saul, welcome to the Crimson Assurance." He seemed content just having a name. I guess that little bit of identity was all he needed at the moment.

"Major? What is your first name?"

"What do you mean?"

"I believe that it is customary for humans to have both a first and a last name. I only know the latter. Since we have been discussing names, it seemed the logical time to ask what your first is." Vulcans, logic, I really hate it some times…

"My first name is Katherine. But I hate it and all renditions of it. The last guy who called me by my first name ended up missing several vital organs. I suggest that you don't make his mistake." I think he wanted to ask why I didn't like my name, but I think he also had the good grace not to mention it.

"Then, what names are acceptable?" That question calmed me down a great deal.

"The crew calls me either Major or Harper, my CMO calls me Keath, any of those work, I guess."

"As you wish, Major."

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that, my name is just a touchy subject with me and…" I stopped when Carpenter walked in. Good thing too. I was getting way too personal. There was something about this guy that made me feel, I dunno, comfortable. I had never gotten like that with any of my other officers; Saul was different. I snapped out of my reverie to make introductions.

"Doc, this is Saul. Saul this is Doctor John Carpenter, my CMO and probably the smartest member of my crew." Carpenter could be a little imposing on people sometimes. And for good reason, rumor was that, before he went to med school, he was a professional boxer. But his Hippocratic Oath made him more want to heal bones than break them. I told him with a look that Saul remembered practically nothing. I convinced myself that he was a telepath, because he understood my glance with supernatural ability and took that information in stride.

He then began to examine Saul's med specs. I sat on the edge of another bed and watched them. Carpenter gently prodded Saul's shoulder, feeling to see if the tendons were healed yet, I guess. Saul looked as though he did not appreciate this at all. Did the doctor care? Hell, no. Carpenter ruled his sickbay with an iron fist and if any of his patients gave him any lip he usually busted it and then healed it back up. Saul, fortunately, kept his mouth shut. The Doc looked over the med scans and seemed to be very happy about them.

"Well, Saul, I think you're probably the fastest healer I've ever seen. You're shoulder's back to normal, but it'll be a little stiff for a while, so be gentle with it. Your arm has taken well to the bone graft I did, but again, don't be too harsh on it. You'll need to go very slow for the next few days. If you start to feel dizzy or nauseous, come to sickbay ASAP. I don't like that crack on the back of your head, but there shouldn't be too many side affects. Just take it easy. Keith, all that is for you too. If I hear that you've been working him like a dog…"

"I know, I know, I'm a goner. Right, so does that mean that I can get him out of here?"

"Yes, go. Oh, Saul the clothes that we found you in are so disfigured that I had to get rid of them." He left temporarily and returned with some clothes draped over his arm. "I found these, they're not much, but they should fit your dimensions." I grinned and bowed out of the room. There were days when Carpenter was more like a mother hen than a dispenser of physical healing.

A door opened in the front of Sickbay, permitting my gargantuan first officer to enter. André was a Titan, a rare people that once lived beyond the borders of the Romulan Empire. Unfortunately, the Romulans don't see an end to their borders and, consequently, the Titans were now scattered throughout the galaxy, either exiles or slaves or worse. André was, however, one of the lucky ones. The first person to join my crew, he was one of the few people that I will entrust my life to. He was colossal, standing nearly seven foot three; strangely quiet, André could go for days without speaking a single word; and insanely strong, I had once seen him lift over four tons of solid metal without breaking a sweat.

"Hey, André, what can I do for you?"

"Came to…" he stopped and fixed his gaze on the door behind me. I turned to see Carpenter and Saul emerge from the entrance. Saul looked a hell of a lot better now that he was no longer in a medical bed. The clothes that Carpenter gave him barely hung on his gaunt frame, but they were long enough for him and at the moment he looked content in them. Pirates have no uniforms as a rule, but on the Assurance, I at least try to have my crew look civilized. Thus clothes looked "normal" though a little old. I was a devoted aficionado of blue jeans from Earth's twenty-first century and bought them whenever I could find them. Thus, the Assurance had some three thousand pairs of blue jeans. So what was Saul dressed in? Blue jeans…and a T-shirt. Carpenter had also given him a jacket of some sort, as Vulcans are inevitably cold in human environments. Saul was now staring at André and I realized that I now had the duty of doing introductions with every bloody member of the bloody crew. Better get this over with.

"Saul, this is my first officer, André." They both slightly nodded at each other, neither one making a sound. Oh great, I have a pair of stoics on board. Marvelous. Carpenter seemed just about as thrilled as I was. I turned back to the Titan.

"What were you about to say?" He blinked and returned his focus to me.

"Unimportant, Major." I nodded. Anytime André said that it meant that what he had to tell me was strictly classified and he would not reveal it in present company. I glanced at Saul.

"You want the nickel tour now or later?" He got that look again and was about to answer when about half-a-dozen alarms started blaring. The com unit, somehow, was audible above the din.

"Major?" I slammed the button to answer.

"Here, what's all the fuss?"

"We've got a beauty of a trade ship on long range scanners, ma'am."

"HOT DOG! I'll be up in a sec, get the ship on attack status on the double quick." I whipped around to face the officers standing behind me. "Right, André, let's go. Saul, you too. Doc, don't worry, we won't cause much damage, but I want you on standby just in case." My first officer and I were halfway out the door when I noticed that the newest edition to my crew was not following. "You waiting for an engraved invitation or something?"

"I believe that my presence would be a detriment to your actions."

"Dude, if you're gonna work here, you need to know what's happening on the bridge during a raid. Now's the perfect time to learn so move it." He hesitated for a fraction of a second before following.

Notes and so forth….

Schematization: Thank you for being the first of my reviewers. I usually think in first person and have to write in third, it is thus easier to write this way, but it can be a little confusing to people who do not have my twisted sense of reality. I am glad that you enjoy it and that I have the good doctor's persona screwed on correctly.

FAINTbattleCry: Thank you for being the second of my reviewers…still not happy that you revealed my identity…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: For the faithful, you know who you are, I have decided to be magnanimous and grant you another chapter. That and I have been writing up a storm and want to share it with all my fellow Trekkies. Please review…

Chapter 4

Correction, Wednesdays are bad

The lift's doors opened onto an almost serene bridge. All my officers were at their stations, waiting for something. I jumped into my seat and demanded a status report. Duo, who had been the watch officer when the call came in, replied, "Looks Orion boss. Big old tanker, no defense ships, minimum shielding and weapons. Easy hit."

"Yeah, too easy. What's our status?" Officers began answering me from all corners of the bridge.

"Engines at full power."

"Weapons online and ready."

"Thrusters online and ready."

"Shields at full power, cloak online."

"SINS working."

"All stations report ready and waiting."

"Raiders ready, Major."

"Alright people, keep your eyes peeled, and let's go in." I saw Saul standing quietly near the wall next to the long-range scanners.

The Orion ship was slowly creeping along, seemingly unaware that we were barreling down on them. The Assurance was equipped with a modified version of a Romulan cloaking device, which made it practically impossible to find us. It also would have blinded us to everything else out there, if it hadn't been for the SINS that Katra, my computer expert, designed. SINS, or Ship's Internal Navigational System, bypassed the cloak's…well, cloak and allowed the scanners to pick up things that were not cloaked. It also went way, way beyond the range of most conventional scanners, giving the Assurance a huge advantage. The Orion's didn't have SINS and didn't use cloaking tech because of the blinding aspect of it, which gave the Assurance another advantage. But even so, the Orions were fierce fighters, normally employing between three and seven robotic escorts for their main trade ship and the lack of these usually ubiquitous, utterly useless, fighters made me very uneasy. Something was going to happen, and I was not happy about it at all.

The layout of the space that we were traveling in didn't help my nerves at all. I like to have the Assurance hide in systems that had either A) a lot of planets, B) a lot of asteroids, C) a lot of magnetic or energy interference or D) all of the above because it gave me another distinct advantage over my prey. This particular system was teeming with asteroids. The Assurance was safely inside the belt, but the Orion's were coming through it. It made a perfect trap, but interference was a two edged sword, as it gave the Orion's a place to hide any amount of drones. Not happy.

"Orion's about to break the field." Kor had an edge of anxiety in his voice; not a good sign. I was about to acknowledge that when another voice came from scanner's direction, only it wasn't Kor's.

"Major, there are strange energy readings coming from the system's star." Saul's voice carried with it the distinct air of calm familiarity, but I was more focused on what he had just said.

"WHAT?"

"I believe that we are surrounded." More calm familiarity, like he had done this a thousand times.

"Pilot get this ship around. Gunner blow anything even resembling a ship to kingdom come."

"Major," Saul again, Kor had surrendered his position at scanners to the Vulcan. "I believe that the Orion vessel is releasing a great many small crafts." So that was the trap.

"Damn. Screw that last order and get us the bloody hell out of here."

"Which way, Ma'am?" Pilot asked, worry slightly tingeing her usually bubbly voice.

"Up, go straight up. Saul, keep me apprised of what the fighters are doing." The Assurance took a violent turn upwards. "Kat, turn that bloody cloak off and get all power to forward shields. Duo I want full power to all weapons specs. Gunner on my mark I want you to fire everything you got at 'em. Get your targeting computer locked on 'em now. Pilot, on the same mark, turn the ship around and drive straight through 'em." There was a pause as I tried to picture all that was going on outside the Assurance.

"NOW!"

The Assurance shivered as Pilot pulled a hairpin one-eighty and Gunner shot off every bloody laser and torpedo that we had. The fireworks recreated on the view-screen were spectacular; all the drones went up in a display of light and bits of metal that would have made any Fourth of July addict weep for joy. The Assurance plowed through the resulting explosion unharmed, by virtue of her intensified shielding. She slowed to face the Orion. I heard the collective sigh of relief coming from the bridge crew.

"Report?" Even though I didn't say it, everyone knew that the question was directed to Saul.

"Scanners indicate that all drones have been either crippled or destroyed outright. The Orion vessel is unguarded."

"Hannah, hail them." The com officer immediately brought up the green skinned CO on the other ship.

"This is Captain Ozar Valrush of the Kestayia, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" One of the nice things about Orions is the fact that they are all extremely polite, even when defeated.

"Major Keath Harper of the Crimson Assurance. Your plan didn't work very well, Captain Valrush. But it was a good idea."

"You flatter me, Major. We must do our best when trying to defeat the Viper. I still can not believe how easily you out maneuver my people." He bowed his head. "What are the terms for surrender, madam?"

"Same as always, five minutes to power down. We'll be over in six or so."

"Of course, it is an honor to engage you. Our engines are being shut down now."

"Thank you, Captain. Good luck on your next run." I motioned to Hannah to cut the screens. As she did so, I turned to André.

"I think I'll take this one, Valrush is an old adversary and deserves the respect." I saw the Titan nod and speak quietly to the troops he had gathered. Probably telling them to keep a very close eye on me. I smiled to myself; André was quite protective of me. I stood and walked to the lift doors. "Alright everyone, standby, stay sharp, and all that stuff. André you've got the con."

I was down in the transporter room with about thirty or so of the biggest, most gruesome looking of my crew. These were the raiders; tough, fearsome, totally obedient to me, they were the guys who went over to strip taken ships of anything of value. I wasn't expecting much on Valrush's ship, but still, it was a part of the Pirate Code and could not, therefore, be left unattended for any circumstance whatsoever. My orders for raiding were simple: take any object of value; download the onboard computer's memory; search their hardware for anything new and take it; don't shoot or cause unnecessary pain or destruction to any living creature unless blatantly provoked; don't under, any circumstances, take any member of the crew or any passenger aboard the ship as a hostage, prisoner, slave, etc.; and don't cripple the ship. These guidelines made me in a moment one of the most feared and one of the most respected pirates in the galaxy. Feared because I didn't take "No" for an answer and would pursue a prospective prize until I caught her. Respected because I was actually decent. There were almost no pirates in the galaxy that didn't deal with slavery. I was one of them.

Thus, when my party beamed aboard the captive Kestayia, I was met warmly by Captain Valrush. He knew my scruples and was aware that I wouldn't hurt a fly on his ship unless I was angered. He and I were old "friends" constantly baiting and dueling with one another. If we pulled into the same base, Valrush and I would usually meet, drink, reminisce, and call each other every name we could think of. Valrush seemed to desire to continue our tradition.

"Keath, you egotistical Halcourtian bristle-back Jalsta-faced Cardassian. Assurance doing well?"

"Quite well, you war-mongering, money-grubbing, snot-nosed Ferengi. How's the pirate business in your sector?" I nodded to the teams, who began their sweep of the Kestayia. Three of the biggest stayed behind; I smiled to myself, André.

"Fine, just fine. You must understand that there is absolutely nothing of value onboard the Kestayia. We rigged it just to hold drones, nothing else."

"And you must understand, my dear captain, that I have to make sure that that statement is correct."

Valrush assumed a face of mock horror; "Do you doubt my word?"

"Only as much as I doubt that the Borg are singular," I replied with mock sincerity. We both laughed.

"Would you care for a drink? I have some excellent Romulan Ale in my quarters."

"Val, you know I can't drink when I'm on duty. I mean," I gestured at the guards standing behind me, "what would they think?"

"I suppose you're right. Well then, we shall just have to postpone it until shore leave. When do you suppose you'll be…" he was cut off by his com unit beeping. "Oh dear, would you please excuse me?" Valrush bowed out for a moment.

"Major, I feel terrible about this, but an urgent message has called me to the bridge. I hope you don't mind if I bid adieu to you now."

"Of course not, Captain. I understand completely. Once my men have completed their circuit, we must also be on our way."

"Piracy, never gives us a break does it?" He smiled. "Well then, my dear Keath, until we meet again. This has been a most delightful intercourse." We shook hands.

"Yes, quite enjoyable. Though I believe it would be more so if you put up more of a fight." He laughed.

"I suppose. I shall endeavor to do my best next time. Until then." He bowed and walked out of the transporter room. I smiled. In another ten minutes or so the teams returned.

"Not much of value, ma'am," one of the team leaders said. "Lit'le dilithium, lit'le platinum, took 'em, nutten else. No casualties on either side, 'ceptin' the drones, ma'am. Nutten else."

"You get the ship's memory?"

"Yessum, go' it with the udder stuff."

"Good work Lieutenant, let's get back home."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any cannon characters. the Crimson Assurance and all it's crew, who are notcannon ST characters,are mine.

Notes:

Ariennye Dhivae Argelia: Thank you very much for the encouraging note.

Papa Bear calling Mama Bear: Anonymous reviews have been enabled. Thanks for reviewing.

silver chipmunk: Thank you

FAINTbattleCRY: Still not happy you said my name. Wanting more of Cold to edit, please

Schematization: Thank you for being the first to review. And thanks also for encouraging me to continue to write in first person. I am thinking of adding another "new" character to the ST universe.

you guys are great for reviewing. please continue!

The story:

Chapter 5

Well, not that bad

I had a tradition aboard the Assurance. Whenever we had a successful raid, no matter how small, I would cook dinner for all the bridge crew. This tradition started back when my crew consisted of a half score of lowlifes. Not one of them could make anything edible, so I was the cook as well as the captain. The Assurance now employs some two hundred, three score and seven persons and about thirty working replicators, so I only get to cook on very special occasions. Like successful raids. As I said, tradition. Tonight, I was feeling very chipper, due to bumping into Valrush and having a merry chase with him, so I made my specialty: white lasagna. I only made it every once in a great while because it is so bloody time consuming. Rather than having pre-made red sauce, white lasagna is filled with, well, a white sauce. A cream base is mixed with cheese, garlic, sautéed onions and mushrooms, generously poured over lasagna noodles, fresh, chopped, green spinach and sliced chicken breast, garnished with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and baked until the cheese is golden brown.

Dinner was made better, at least in my opinion, as it gave me time to introduce all my bridge crew to Saul in one shot. I hoped that the Vulcan's amnesia wouldn't affect his ability to remember names, as this would have been hopeless if directed to someone such as myself. It also gave Saul a comfortable, relaxed environment to settle into.

The officers arrived and took their regular places at the large, round conference table that was always reserved for this occasion. I had previously asked Carpenter to escort Saul in, as I was busy preparing dinner. Kor was not going to be in attendance. He had met with me the moment that I stepped off the transporter pad earlier and requested the ability to relinquish control of SINS to Saul. When I queried as to the reasons behind this sudden request, I received a very startling answer.

"He's a natural at it, Major. I had to train at the SINS control for nearly three weeks, even with Katra teaching me. Saul, he just takes one look at the thing and can interpret it in ways I could only dream of. Besides, I only took the position because you needed someone who knew something about scanners. I would very much like to be put back amongst the raiders." I was more than happy to oblige this request. But it set me thinking, Saul did have an almost intuitive ability with the SINS controls. What was that that Carpenter said about familiar roles? I snapped out of my reverie when I heard the door behind me open. I turned from the oven, bringing with me the gorgeous looking lasagna with me, to see my ever so tall first officer standing there.

"Hey, André, come to pick?" I saw him smile. Titans have a hard time smiling, and when they do, which was rare to begin with, it was almost imperceptible. It was only after working with him for years that I learned to tell when André was smiling and when he was not. It took even longer for me to learn when he was frowning.

"No, Major. I wish to tell you something."

"Does it by any chance have anything to do with what you tried to tell me earlier?"

"Yes." Something was not right. André didn't speak much to begin with, but he seemed to be avoiding me.

"And?" I prompted encouragingly.

"Got a report from Duo. The techs you told to search the shuttle completed their search."

"AND?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"They uncovered nothing. The computers, the hull, the engines, navigational computer, data-banks and most of the equipment were damaged."

"How badly?"

"From what Duo says, the techs could not tell a probe from a power coupling."

"Ouch." That was bad news. I was hoping that the shuttle could give me some clue as to where Saul had come from. Well, what I was really hoping for was that we could find the ship he belonged on and return him to it. I knew that I couldn't very well waltz into Fed turf to deliver an amnesiac Vulcan to an inner world. And I couldn't just drop him off at a star base either, or even arrange direct transport for him. "Who else knows about this?"

"You, me, Duo, and the tech team."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. No one else knows, understood? I don't want this to reach Saul in any form at all. Until his memory comes back in full, I don't want to have ideas planted in his head."

"Done, Major."

"Good, now you grab the plates and the wine glasses and let's get dinner started." I had selected two bottles of a Merlot called "Two-Buck-Chuck". Two-Buck from a vineyard that dated back to early twenty-first century Earth that prided itself in producing cheap decent wine. I don't know how they did it, but they had kept producing cheap decent wine for the past two hundred years and it looked as though they were continuing to do so. Merlot goes very well with lasagna; it's a good sipping wine and brings out the full flavor of the main course that I had prepared.

The table was a little full with people, plates, utensils, salad, salad bowls, salad dressings (I only allowed balsamic vinegar and olive oil to grace the table when I cooked), water glasses, wine glasses, wine bottles, and now the piece-de-resistance, my white lasagna. My officers were about to dive on in when I stopped them curtly.

"Hold up a minute. I won't have anyone eating until proper introductions are made. People this is Saul. He'll be on the bridge during normal shifts until I say so. Saul, I'm gonna kinda lay this on you fast so if you get confused, ask me later, 'kay?" I got a brief nod and proceeded. "This is Pilot and her brother Gunner, who man the helm and weapons stations respectively. Katra is the resident genius in the world of computers, programming, cloaking, and shielding. Duo is my chief of engineering and would probably be able to pull off as many miracles as his brother if he wasn't late to everything. Duo and Katra are twins, and if you have trouble telling them apart, just remember that Kat's the good one." This remark got a semi-indignant "HEY!" from Duo and a snicker from everybody else. I ignored all this and continued. "Hannah is the wunderkind of communications; she can crack just about every code known to man and six known to monkeys; she has ears sensitive enough to hear a pin drop; and she's got a very deadly aim, so don't go ticking her off. André and Carpenter you already know."

Duo jumped in, "And then there's our beloved Major. Few things you need to know about her, Saul, for your own safety. First, everyone who doesn't crew this ship calls her the Viper. For good reason, too. She is decidedly deadly, has about the fastest draw imaginable, is exceedingly crafty, and is a little on the crazy side. She'll do anything for this ship, and expects everyone here to be just as suicidally devoted as she is. Her full name is Katherine Elayo Analise Tabitha Harper, but if you call her any of those names to her face she'll kill you six times before you even hit the floor. What else? Hmmm, oh yeah, she has a beautiful singing voice and is all around one of the prettiest girls ever to grace a pirate ship." He grasped his full wineglass. "So, here's to the Major, May she never lose her wits or we'll all be dead. And too Saul, May he quickly regain his wits and get out while he still can." This toast was met with a resounding "Hear, Hear" and the clinking of wineglasses. And our dinner began. All conversation dissolved into small talk, then less talk, then no talk and only the quiet munchings of a decidedly happy crew. Plates were almost cleared when Saul, who had been eating a vegan version of my lasagna, broke the silence.

"By your introductory comment, Major, I presume that you intend for me to remain on your bridge."

"Well, considering that I am temporarily in want of a SINS operator, and you're the damned best I've ever seen," that comment evoked a chorus of agreement from the rest of the diners, "I would have to say that you presume correctly."

"The question, Saul," Carpenter commented, "is whether you want to stay."

"I do not logically believe that there is any other choice, Doctor."

"Bologna," Gunner said. "Ya always got a choice, stay or leave."

"And if I leave, where am I to go?"

"Home," André stated simply.

"I do not know where 'home' is. If I did, I would not be here."

"Well, do you wanna stay?" Pilot asked.

"I…I do not know." Saul mulled the question over. "I don't know if I'm suited to be a pirate. I have a…supposition that piracy is objectionable on various fronts, but I have no frame of reference to compare it with. I believe it would be preferable to comprehend the aspects of what you propose."

Duo leaned over to Katra, "What?"

"I think," Katra translated, "his meaning is that he wants to know what we do before he agrees to join. Right?" Saul nodded.

"Oh. Well, why couldn't you just say that?" Duo asked the Vulcan.

"I believe I did." There was that look again. I leaned back in my chair, wineglass in hand, ready to hear what my crew said life was like.

"So," Duo pressed, "you want us to tell you how we act and what we do and why we do what we do and then you'll decide whether to stay or not."

"Essentially correct."

"Cool. Any objections boss?" I shook my head, this was gonna be very interesting.

"Well, to begin with, we're not really pirates. Not in the traditional sense anyway." An eyebrow cocked.

"What my brother means," Katra explained, "Is that we do not make our living primarily by stealing from others."

"We do a fair deal of trading, shipping, mapping, and the like," Pilot grinned. "We really only steal from other pirates and..."

"Slavers," Gunner broke in vehemently. "We steal from slavers as a rule." That seemed to perk Saul's interest.

"Why?"

Carpenter explained, "This crew has a predominant population of freed slaves. And, you can imagine, there is a…craving, I suppose, to free others."

"You do not then keep them?" That comment produced quite a furious outburst from all seats but mine.

"PEOPLE!" I barked. I don't usually bark, you can imagine then the silence that followed. "Don't go climbing down his throat. It's a legitimate question from someone who doesn't know what slavery is like. Shut up with the witch hunt and answer the man's question." The silence continued for a few seconds before Hannah quietly replied.

"No, we do not keep the slaves that we take from those…kinds of ships. The rules for raiding slave ships are quite simple. We liberate the slaves and give them a choice, stay on the Assurance or get dropped off at the nearest port. If the former, they get welcomed into the crew with open arms. If the latter, the Major gives them a sum of credits, clothes, and a free passage to any port in the sector. They then leave to start their lives again."

Duo continued, "The slave ship gets gutted. Raiding crews take everything, and I mean everything. The engines are stripped of parts, computers are taken out, weapons, shields, and anything of value is carted over here. Then the ship gets blown up."

"What of the crew?" No one looked like they were going to answer, so I did.

"I have them whipped. One lash for every year they served as a slaver. Then they get turned free. The captain of that vessel, however, I scourge. Thirty-nine lashes with the cat of nine tails, no medical attention whatsoever. Then I maroon him on a rock with barely enough life-supporting atmosphere to keep a human alive and give him a handgun with one bullet in it. Nothing else."

"That is inhumane."

"Slavers aren't human." I put a little too much passion in that remark, but it was there all the same. "They're scum. No, they're lower than scum. Anyone who willingly chooses to set himself as absolute lord over his equal deserves it. Anyone who buys and sells sentient beings like chattel deserves worse. Anyone who ruthlessly slaughters entire peoples, who takes children away from their screaming mothers, who degrade, rape, beat, burn, torture, and carelessly sell the defenseless deserves death. Slavers have no morals, no scruples, no honor, and I will not stand idly by and watch the innocent suffer. Anytime I find a slave ship, this is the justice I bring." Silence ensued.

"But it's rare," Carpenter finished quietly. "Slavers know what Keath does and they stay far away from her. Usually we just deal with other pirates and sometimes even honest business." I knew that Carpenter was steering the conversation away from slavery. It was a touchy subject for me and for the majority of my crew. Saul seemed to know this and allowed the conversation to drift to other things.

"What kind of 'honest business'?"

"Lot of over the borders stuff." Gunner grinned. "We, uh, ferry goods across borders that most people wouldn't want to touch with a ten foot pole."

"How would one touch a border with a pole of any length?" That really broke the tension in the room.

"It's an expression, Saul," Hannah said with a quiet smile. "The Assurance is considered neutral ground for a number of parties. We sometimes act as mediators in a situation, or as a meeting place between warring groups."

"Most of the time," Gunner continued, "We just run illegal payloads from one turf to another."

"You are smugglers then?"

"Technically speaking, yes."

"But only if there isn't anything else to do." Pilot added.

"We also guard Red Rock One." Duo said and was immediately kicked underneath the table several times. "WHAT'D I SAY? WHAT'D I SAY? If he's gonna be on the Assurance, he has to know about the Rock. Boss, help me out before I get murdered over here."

"Duo's right," never though I'd say those words "Saul should know. André, it was your idea, you explain it."

The Titan nodded. "Major's picked up lots of people over the years. Too many for the Assurance to handle. So we made Red Rock One."

Pilot broke in, "It's an asteroid the size of a small moon; we converted it on the inside to make a base of operations for the Assurance."

"S'got everything there," Gunner followed. "Hospital, armory, huge engineering department, stores, and lots of housing."

"We have schools there, too," Katra said quietly. "A great many of the slave vessels we raid are filled with children. They are too young to either join the Assurance or go out into the galaxy by themselves, so they go to the Rock. We have many families there who temporarily adopt them until they are old enough to decide what they want to do."

"In the meantime," Carpenter said. "We give them a basic education and a trade to learn. Computer tech, engineering, electrical work, medicine, communications, teaching, agriculture, piloting, bunch of other stuff. Gives them an edge if they want to leave the Rock. But very few of them do."

"The Rock is well defended," André continued. "We hid it deep in a very large asteroid field, cloaked it, shielded it, and covered it in weapons, but it can be penetrated. So the Assurance stays close to home."

"That's about all we do," Carpenter said at last. Saul nodded and fell silent. The conversation drifted to other things and before long, people began to leave. Saul remained seated long after the rest had left. I think he would have sat there all night if I hadn't roused him.

"Come on Saul, I'll show you to some quarters." We stood, both silent, and went to the lodging decks of the Assurance. I always made sure that we had more rooms than people. The bridge crew always got private quarters, almost everyone else double bunked. I made sure, though, that roommates worked on different shifts so that they could have some privacy. The extra quarters were filled with guests; some paying for transport, lots were picked up when we raided slave ships. I took Saul to a room that was close to the rest of the bridge crew.

"It's kinda Spartan, I'm afraid," I said as the door opened. "But it's all yours. If you need anything, just ask for it, 'kay?"

"Thank you Major, this is more than enough."

"One other thing," he turned to look at me. "I can't begin to imagine what it's like to lose your memory, but I want you to be happy. If you're not, then I want to do what I can to help. I know you'll get it back, and I don't want you to feel any obligation to me or to my ship when you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is, when you remember who you are and where you're from, tell me. I'll do everything in my power to get you back home. That I swear."

"You have been kind enough to me, Major. This is not necessary."

"Of course it is. The other members of my crew can leave anytime they want to. I don't make anyone stay against his or her will; I don't want you to either. If you want to stay here, please do, my ship is all the better for it. If you want to leave, I'll take you anywhere you want to go, as long as it makes you happy."

"Happiness is an emotion."

"Happiness is what every living being strives for whether they admit it or not. I want the same for you."

"Why?"

"Because I am happiest when my crew is. You're part of my crew so your wellbeing is now my priority for as long as you stay here." I smiled. "You better get some sleep, it's been a long day. Alpha shift starts at oh-eight-hundred sharp. See you then." I walked down the hall towards my quarters when Saul quietly called to me.

"Major?" I turned back to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for everything." I grinned.

"Your welcome. Goodnight Saul."

"Goodnight."

DXVJKE

there had a bit of a happy ending. next up is a raid. please review

DarkX


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek. There is a line in here from Monty Pythons and the Quest for the Holy Grail. I borrowed it. I did not steal it, merely borrowed it for a while and then shall have it washed, dried, ironed, freshly starched, and back into the movie before you know it. Please don't sue me, all you shall get is a half-eaten chocolate bar and a pair of old gym socks.

Notes:

Ariennye Dhivae Argelia: THANK YOU FOR COMPLENTING MY CHARACTERS! I love them dearly and am very proud when someone else praises them. Oh and I am so glad that you think that I got Spock right. I do bring in a little bit of human into him in this chapter, tell me what you think...

Schematization: For not having much time, that was a pretty indepth review. I LOVE ISHMAEL! It is probably my favorite of all the ST novels. I have read that one around three times (which is a lot considering that I HATE re-reading books...). Yes, adding new blood is good, but some people can't stand that, so I am glad that you like it.

DXVJKE

Chapter 6

I like Thursdays

To tell the truth, Saul got along pretty well on the Assurance. He took to the bridge like a fish takes to water, the crew implicitly trusted him, hell, I implicitly trusted him. He was one of those people that you just like, for all his faults. Not that he had many mind you. The only thing that anyone found even mildly irritating was his constant devotion to logic. If logic had a temple, I swear Saul would live and die there. His passion was so great that sometimes, on rare occasions, an emotional response could be evoked from Saul if certain members of my crew displayed actions that he found "illogical". Duo was especially apt at bringing forth this response, he could make Saul say that word in three seconds flat (I timed it once), and I believe took great delight in perturbing the Vulcan. The rest of the crew found this highly amusing and it increased their fondness for Saul.

He had almost a prescience for what was about to happen. No matter what the situation, if Saul was on the bridge, I could count on getting out of it okay. He always seemed to know exactly what information I needed before I asked for it and was able to interpret it and send it to the correct stations before anyone knew that they needed it. The escapade with the Orion's trap became almost mundane, and I was quite used to having him there, always knowing what needs to be done. He was a picture of efficiency, but he wasn't proud about it. And yet, sometimes when the bridge was unusually quiet, I could see the traces of pain and sadness in his eyes. He still tried, at least internally, to get behind that locked off section of his memory, to find out who he was. In those moments, I wished I had a key of some kind that would unlock it all for him. He's just one of those kinds of guys that you just want to help.

We had been in the same sector of space for the past sixty days. Katra, Duo and Saul were revamping the computer and engineering sections. They, and their respective teams of techs, found that all very interesting. I found it mind-numbingly boring, and I had a feeling that the rest of the crew agreed. So, after one-thousand-four-hundred-and-forty-four hours of constant chatter from the three of them about warp fields, warp cores, warp engines, warp speed, warp speed while cloaked, warp speed while fighting, warp speed in certain kinds of energy fields (during which I was contemplating what would happen if I strapped them to a warp engine and then turned it on and blasted it out the back end of the Assurance and into an unstable white dwarf star), Duo finally announced that the engines would be back online in time for Alpha shift. There was much rejoicing.

Alpha Shift came and found my bridge crew where they should be (on the bridge), me where I should be (in my chair), a nice new set of engines (hopefully down in engineering where they belong and not gallivanting around the universe getting sugar high), some dryer lint, a couple of old bottles that once had Coca-Cola in them, and a half-eaten cookie that was slowly decaying in an unknown corner of the ship. How Alpha Shift found the last three items, I shall never know, I was on the bridge.

"Right, André. What's the agenda for today?" I was chipper now that I had new engines and didn't have to strap any persons to any warp cores to get them. Eighty-six-thousand-four-hundred minutes is entirely too long to go sitting in some godforsaken bit of space on the backside of the universe.

"Nothing, Major." Came the deep-throated reply of my first officer.

"Excellent. I propose that we go test the new engines. All in favor?" A chorus of "Aye's" made round the bridge. "Opposed?" Silence. "Good, but seeming how this isn't a bloody democracy, none of your votes matter. Let's get into trouble."

"What trouble specifically, Ma'am?" Gunner asked. I thought, where's a good place to…

"Let's go buzzing." That was met with another chorus of "Aye's".

"Setting, Ma'am?"

"Take us to the Romulan Neutral Zone." Laughter broke out on the bridge. Pilot had already set in the coordinates and was waiting for my signal to take us out. "Hannah, get me all-ship."

"Aye, Ma'am. All-ship ready."

"This is the Major." My voice was slightly echoed as it rang throughout the ship. "I have decided that, to honor the upgrading of our new engines, we are going to go buzz the Romulans. Anyone opposed to this idea can go soak their heads, have a couple shots of whisky, see Dr. Carpenter, and get back to their bloody stations. As for the rest of you: let's have a bit of fun, buckos." I clicked the intercom off. "Do it." The Assurance blasted off; all her systems ready for whatever may come. Saul, though he was never really enthusiastic about things other than the internal workings of a computer or small pulsar, seemed not only less enthusiastic than normal but also quite confused. He turned from his station and addressed me quietly.

"Major, may I ask you a question?" There was that ever present quizzical look again.

"Sure, Saul. What's up?"

"I do not understand what 'to buzz' means, nor why it causes such elation amongst the crew." I grinned.

"Buzzing is pirate slang. On the Assurance, it generally means to be an utter bloody pest. In this context, it means that we are going to annoy the hell out of the Romulans and have a good laugh at them."

"I cannot see how making a nuisance of one self could cause amusement."

"Come on, Saul, don't you have at least a little mischief in you? Haven't you ever wanted to make someone mad just for the hell of it?"

"Not that I can remember." The slightest bit of sorrow flashed in his eyes. I was slightly taken aback. I had almost come to seeing Saul as the Vulcan/pirate that could work computer-based miracles. I had forgotten that he had another life.

"Saul, I'm sorry…I didn't…"

"It does not matter, Major." He turned to his station.

"No, it does matter. That was wrong of me to say and I apologize." He looked back at me.

"It is not wholly your fault, and there is no need for apology." He returned to attentively watching his station. I sat in silence. Saul was an enigma to me. How could a man be as strong as he was to never show a single emotion and yet break so easily? I wished that I knew him in his other life, and I deeply envied those who did.

The hours danced merrily on their way as the Assurance raced towards the Romulan Empire. It is a well-known fact that Romulans hate pirates with a passion and will do all manner of nasty things to any pirates caught, which were many. But the Assurance had never been caught. She was the only ship that carried the Skull's mark to pass unhampered through their space and return again to tell the tale. Many rumors had spread about this singular ability. One said that the Assurance was crewed by demon spawn, and therefore could not be touched by any mortal. Another said that the Assurance herself was demon spawn and could not be hit by any weapon ever conceived. The most popular was that the Captain of the Assurance was a lycanthropic witch who could summon all manner of hellish ghouls to fight her battles. Do you see a theme here? The truth was that the Assurance was a mishmash of the absolute best of every civilization thrown together, that she was crewed by a group of hardened scum who hate all things Romulan, and that her Captain was utterly insane. And that is the truth, even the last bit. Because every time I come into contact with a Romulan, a very dark side of me comes forth. I learned that I had to let all this hatred of the Romulans out in small successive doses or I explode in fury. This led to the buzzing for which I was famous for.

Buzzing was, in fact, a therapeutic way of letting all my anger at the Romulans be released in a way that did not start an intergalactic war. The Assurance would find a Romulan ship of some variety, slash and plunder her, and then get back into our own safe waters. Buzzing is also what has kept the Romulans from gaining enough power to go to war with any of their neighbors. It was the steadiest source of income for the crew, as I would have to buzz a Romulan every six months or so or I would turn into a blood thirsty savage. Not a pretty sight to say the least. There was only one side effect of all this. The Romulan Empire would not, for any reason, say to anyone that their greatest enemy was not a great civilization that spanned a hundred worlds but a scraggly band of skuzzy pirates who lived in an asteroid somewhere. This embarrassed the hell out of their politicians, so they blamed it on a great civilization that spanned a hundred worlds: the Federation. This was yet another proof that all politicians need to be shot. Rather than admitting that their economy was at the mercy of some half crazed rebel ship, they blamed it on an old enemy whom they could never seem to destroy. This inevitably caused a public outcry against the Federation and then the Federation would have to fight back against the attacks of the Romulans, thus proving to the public that the politicians are right and perpetuating the system. All that was a bunch of rubbish to me. Politicians, in my sight, were only slightly above the dung beetle on the list of creatures that should be saved in the event of an apocalypse. I believed in good, old fashioned, benevolent, military, dictatorships. The rest of the political systems can go eat dung beetles for all I care.

"Major," Saul's stoic voice rang out across the quiet bridge. "Long range scanners are picking up three vessels." Action, at last.

"Status?" As usual answers came from all sides of the bridge.

"Weapons ready, Ma'am."

"Thrusters ready, Ma'am."

"Shields and cloak at full power."

"Engines at 100."

"Jamming all frequencies, Ma'am and all stations report ready."

"Raiders on standby, Major." I nodded and turned to look at Saul.

"What are we up against?" The Vulcan paused for a heartbeat before replying.

"The three vessels are divided into two classes, Major. One large ship, cargo class, two smaller ones, fighters I believe. They are under Romulan flag. Moving at warp three towards the central part of the Romulan Empire." He paused again and looked up and straight at me. "The computer's library has identified the fighter ships to be of a small escort class, light shielding, heavy weaponry, moderate maneuvering. Scanners pick up ten life readings to each fighter. The cargo ship" he paused again, as though he were hesitant to say it, "Is a slave vessel, heavy shielding, light weaponry, maneuvering is practically non-existent. Life readings are between three-hundred-sixty and three-hundred-ninety." The bridge became so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Four-hundred souls," Katra said quietly. "Major, we can't…"

"I know," I said forcefully. This was going to be no ordinary buzzing. This was an all out raid.

"Pilot, take us in."

DXVJKE

So, any thoughts on what should come next? Also, ifI write a story, planting a new character in the midst of our beloved ST universe, would anyone read it? tell me in a nice review...

DarkX


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek...The Assurance, and all her crew (minus one Vulcan), are MINE! But if you ask nicely, I'm sure you can play with them...

Notes:

**Ariennye Dhivae Argelia**: Thank you for the glowing review. I try to write well, but sometimes I drift either into the too much dialogue or too much discription (I think i do the latter in this chapter...). And as for our favorite science officer...well, he's always perfect. And speaking of which, thank you ever so much for reviewing "Perfect", it means a lot to me when reviewers read my other junk. by the way, do you ever do a non-anonymous review?

**Onaleia**: You would read this without the Star Trek under theme? Wow, I'm really touched. And thank you for picking nits. I told my sister that I finally found someone as much of a grammar nazi as I am and she didn't believe me. But it's the grammar nazis of the world that make it a better place to read, so thank you for finding that fault. I wish I knew how to revise my chapters or I would fix that immediately...

On to the Story...

Chapter 7

Actually, I see no difference between Thursdays and Wednesdays beyond spelling

"I want you to only go after one of the fighters. I don't care which but you don't go after the other until the first is disabled. Take out their engines. Leave the slave ship for last." Gunner and Pilot nodded their heads, turned back to their stations and began plotting how best to fulfill my orders. "Kat, how long can we go before having to de-cloak?"

"Up until we fire, Ma'am, but after that, the cloak has to stay down."

"Saul, do the fighter ships show any evidence of moving in a pattern?" The Vulcan watched the SINS for nearly a minute before replying.

"Negative, the fighters have not moved from their original positions relative to the slaver vessel. If they have any pattern of movement, Major, they have yet to reveal it." I chewed that over.

"Gunner, could you disable the fighters simultaneously?" The weapons chief thought a moment.

"Not simultaneously, Ma'am, but I could do them in quick succession."

"How fast?" Gunner did a quick estimation in his head.

"If I preprogram the positions of all ships involved, I could take both of them out in about three seconds."

"Do it." Gunner and Pilot began to revise their plots on how best to fulfill my orders. Whispered calculations, angles, speeds, power levels, weapons choices, and times were conducted between the two of them. The rest of the bridge sat in tense silence. Seconds ticked slowly by, measured by heartbeats, breaths, and the silent pulse of a klaxon. Klaxons were insanely loud in every part of the Assurance save two: the ICU in sickbay and on my bridge. We waited. The slave ship and her escorts continued slowly ahead and we shadowed them. And waited. Pilot finally broke the silence.

"Ready, Ma'am." She and Gunner silently strapped themselves into their chairs in front of me.

"Get us in position." The Assurance silently glided to a point prefixed by the siblings. Again we waited. I could feel all their eyes, their thoughts, their breathing, their waiting, their silence. And we waited.

"Fire."

DXVJKE

Pilot and Gunner, as I stated previously, were possibly the best team to ever guide any ship anywhere, period. They were very fast. They were very smart. They were very ruthless. And they possessed a hatred of slavers that possibly surpassed my own, possibly. When I had given Gunner the order to take both of the fighters out, he made that his life's goal. Pilot had copied that goal and made it her own, because she always did what her brother did no matter what it was. The fighters, you can imagine, didn't stand a chance.

But Fate, that infuriating Lady who controls the fortunes of all ships that ever existed, intervened at the last moment. The fighters apparently did have a pattern that they followed; they just did it on the hour. The ships began to switch places right as I gave the order to fire. The first of the fighters that Gunner had targeted had its engines torn to bits and was safely out of commission. However, the three seconds that Gunner needed to switch from targeting one ship to targeting the other gave the latter time to move out of the way. Gunner second set of shots only grazed their starboard shields. We were found out. The remaining fighter had a smashing good pilot who instantly realized A) he was being attacked, B) the attacking ship was behind him, C) his sister ship was derelict, and D) he could move a heck of a lot faster than the attacking ship could.

The fighter turned with expert precision, circled the slave ship, and raced around to face the Assurance. It fired at us repeatedly, raking the sides of my ship.

"He is coming around for another pass, Major," Saul stated, his normally calm voice was faintly tainted with strains of urgency. The bridge shook under the next attack. I hung onto the sides of my chair, listening to the movements of my officers, almost hearing the screaming engines of the attacking ship. The fighter raced towards the slave ship, tightly circled it again, and rocketed back to us. Pilot was straining the maneuvering thrusters trying to keep up with him, Gunner was twisting the weapons to every angle he could, and yet the fighter was untouched. I could feel the shields of the Assurance weaken. I had to do something. There had to be a pattern to the attack.

"Pilot, point us straight at the slave ship. Ignore the fighter and shoot that ship. No, wait. Shoot just beneath the slaver's keel. Two bursts in quick succession. Ready." I could feel the eyes of most of my bridge officers on the back of my neck. But we had worked together for far too long for them not to trust me. I waited until the right moment. Seconds slowly passed. The Assurance shuddered with the next pass and still I waited.

"NOW!"

The red phasers lashed out twice into the night sky, shooting, it seemed, at nothing. But at the precise moment, the fighter flew right into the shots. He came around the slave ship for a third time, but far slower. "Take 'em out, Gun." The weapons expert threw everything at the fighter, but not to kill. He knew my standards. Even when fighting slavers, no one died unnecessarily. The fighter's power withered. Five expertly placed blasts took out his engines, leaving the small ship crippled and utterly useless.

"Break the slaver's shields." Pilot and Gunner now moved like one being, circling the slave ship, and crushing the shields with practiced blows. In a matter of minutes, three ships had been reduced into twisted hunks of metal, lying prone before the Assurance.

"Saul, locate the bridge of the slave ship and send the coordinates to the transporter room." He moved deftly over the computer terminal.

"Done, Major." I stood.

"André, Saul, come with me. Katra, you have the bridge. Make sure none of them do anything stupid." I gestured vaguely towards the ships on the view screen as I marched over to the lift. The Vulcan and the Titan followed.

DXVJKE

There were some forty raiders in the transporter room. They all looked up sharply when I entered and spread against the walls to make room for me. The squadron leaders were standing closest to me, waiting for my instructions.

"I want one full team with me on the bridge. The rest of you are going to be spread through the ship. Get anyone who isn't a slave unarmed and in one place. No swiping ANY thing until I give the order. Got it?" There were no dissenting opinions.

"You, Redj isn't it?" The raider I indicated nodded. "Redj, gimme your guns." Redj obediently unbuckled his belt, removed the set of holstered blasters, and handed them to me. "Thanks, go get another set from the armory for this raid. I'll get these back to you later." He nodded again and moved through the small crowd. I handed the belt to Saul. "You'll need these."

I stepped on the transporter pad, André beside me, the four raiders he had selected to be my guard took positions behind us, Saul was the last to get on. The blasters looked strange hanging off of his waist, like they didn't belong there. I drew my twin Schnauers, very deadly energy pistols. They didn't vaporize my victims like Federation phasers did; Schnauers blasted nasty large holes in whoever was unlucky enough to get shot. They were very wicked looking guns, dark metallic blue that didn't glint, about the size of a Barretta from early twenty-first century Earth, very precise, and very smooth. They were rare, and I never, EVER, left my cabin without them. I glanced at the tech in charge of the transporters. "Do it."

DXVJKE

The swirl of the transporters pulled back to reveal a very crazy bridge. Romulans with no kind of uniforms were everywhere, trying to restore control to the bridge. No one noticed me and my crew until the second wave of raiders swept aboard. It is quite possible to not notice seven strange, gun toting, beings on one's bridge, but to ignore fourteen is something quite different. One of the tech-like Romulans headed towards our position, which blocked the main door on and off the bridge, looked up and froze. For some reason, it was his non-action that caught the attention of what I took to be the captain. He stood from a chair in the middle of the bridge and turned to look into the barrel of my Schnauer. Slowly the activity around the bridge abated. All the Romulans were focused on what I would do, and all of my men were focused on what the Romulans would do. The captain spoke first.

"Who are you?" His voice was firm, calm, like the voice of one who knows what he's doing. "What are you doing on my ship?"

"I am Keath Harper." My voice felt like it was chiseled out of ice. "I'm here to seize your cargo." I saw the other Romulans step backward away from me. They knew who I was. "And you are going to tell me everything I want to know if you value the lives of your crew." I saw the muscles on the captain's jaw tighten. It was another one of his crew who spoke.

"You're the Viper. You won't kill anyone." He was young, and had the cockiness of one who had had everything in his life handed to him on a silver platter. I didn't like people like that. My Schnauer moved with a rage all it's own. The Cock leaned backwards, fear suddenly present in his eyes as he had to stare down the barrel of that evil gun.

"I am the Viper, but I'm also a pirate," I smiled grimly, "which means that you should assume nothing." My trigger finger moved ever so slightly and the Captain leapt between the Cock and me.

"Please, don't. Ignore the boy, he doesn't have any manners. What do you want?" His voice had a slight edge to it. I knew well that he would cooperate with me.

"What's your name, Captain?" I relaxed my trigger finger every so slightly.

"T'Cair," he answered simply. I turned my head ever so slightly to indicate to the others that they were to assume their duties. André and one of my "guards" stayed behind me. Saul moved swiftly to a computer terminal to access its information. The other raiders spread out to collect weapons and secure the other stations. None of the Romulans either moved or protested.

"You own this ship?"

"Yes."

"The fighters?"

"I employ them. They've been with me for a while now."

"What's your cargo?" A totally superfluous question, but I asked it nonetheless. How much of his ship would be left intact hinged on how he answered my question.

"Two-hundred-thirty-seven slaves, eight tons of platinum, three of rubies, one of unrefined dilithium crystals." His voice was emotionless, Vulcan-like almost.

"I assume that you know what I do to slavers." My voice held the dark undertones of suppressed rage.

"I know." T'Cair had no fear in his eyes.

"How long have you been shipping slaves?"

"This is the first time." I blinked.

"What?"

"This is the first time that I have ever shipped slaves. I usually deal in hard cargo, but that's been slow. My crew has to work. I took this as a last resort." That same emotionless calm. He was either a VERY good liar or he was telling the truth. I glanced over to my left.

"Saul?"

"He is essentially telling the truth, Major. The ship's manifests go back several years; there are no records of any shipment of slaves other than this one and no evidence of tampering." I turned back to the Romulan.

"I am taking all of you cargo and every last one of the slaves in your hold." I paused. "And I am letting you and the rest of your crew and all three of your ships go." The shock that rippled through the bridge was almost tangible and it came more from my crew than from the Romulans. "BUT," I iced my voice to get my point across, "if I EVER see you trading in slaves again, I will show you no mercy. Got it?"

T'Cair nodded. "My investors will not be pleased with this," he said quietly.

I smiled slightly again. "Just start telling people that pirates raided you. I'm sure that your government will pay you more than enough to keep silent." I holstered my Schnauer. "I am leaving my raiders here to complete the transfer of your goods to my ship. Don't give them any grief and they'll leave you alone." I tapped the com link at my throat. "Assurance, get me out of here." There was a word of acknowledgement from Hannah. I turned to André, "Standard procedure." I was just able to see him nod before the transporter pulled me off the Romulan ship.

My memories had begun to overwhelm me.

I had to get off that ship…

DXVJKE

Any ideas as to what's up with Keath? Answer with a review if you don't mind. Also a question as to the length of this story, do you want them to go on another buzzing adventure, or shall I wrap this up? Again, answer with a review. (Okay, I just started every sentence in that bit with an "A" word...weird.)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:I still do not own the Star Trek universe, only the crew of the Crimson Assurance (minus Spock).

Notes for my most faithful reviewers:

**Onaleia**: Hmmm, interesting questions. One at least is answered in this chapter, the others...I believe I shall answer in due time. If you are still not satisfied at the end of this story, then I promise to write you a long email of explanation.  
**Ariennye Dhivae Argelia**: I did not mean to be rude when I mentioned the whole only-anonymous-reviews thing. I just noticed that you signed in for your first review and didn't for the following...I was just curious. Spock may get a little out of character in this next bit, tell me what you think of him, and I am attempting to develope a little humanity in Keath.  
**Schematization**: WOW! Such a host of compiments, I'm blushing. Creating characters isn't really hard for me, I would do it all the time when I was younger. Keath and company are just some of my favorites all thrown together. New ideas could never EVER bore me; I truly enjoy hearing other people's input on my characters. Thanks for the long review, it's nice to know that I'm doing somethings right.  
**Evilhamster13**: Welcome to my version of the Star Trek universe. I'm glad that you like my story, but your romantic ideas on how I view the Romulan empire may tragicly come to an end by the time this chapter is over. If you hate how I've portrayed them, please tell me in a review. If, however, I have not incurred your abhorrance, then stick around.  
To the Story:

A/N: This chapter contains references to the consumption of alcohol. I do not in any way condone this, encourage it, think that is right or even desirable for any person under the age of 21. If you are under the age of 21 and want to consume alcohol of any form, I strongly encourage you to go to your parents or any grown-up that you trust to care for your health and well being and talk to that person about your desire to drink. Drinking to excess, like smoking or doing drugs, is **_NOT GOOD! _****_IT CAN AND WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE!_** Don't do it, okay?

Chapter 8

Fridays are whiskey days

I don't really remember getting to my room. I just remember sitting in my chair, facing the stars with a bottle of Jack Daniel's, and the loudest hardest rock that I had thundering in the background. Every time we came across a slave ship…every time I was forced to remember…even though I didn't drink any of the whiskey in my lap, my mind slipped into a quiet oblivion as I watched the stars drift by. I don't remember how long I sat there, beneath the stars, in the pounding music, in the nothingness. Time is only relative to people who wanted to remember the passage of time. I didn't. I only wanted the stars.

DXVJKE

**"André?" Saul approached the Titan on the bridge nearly four hours after the last of the slaves had been brought off the Romulan ship. André had given orders for the Assurance to go to Red Rock One. This was the standard procedure that the Major had spoken of. Only once had she actually helped the ex-slaves get bunked down. She never did it now. The first officer turned to Saul, waiting for him to go on. "I wish to inform you that all of the liberated slaves have been examined by Dr. Carpenter and assigned quarters." André nodded his approval. **

**"Thank you, Saul," he said slowly. "There is one other thing that I would like for you to do." The Vulcan inclined his head, signaling his willingness. "Please go speak to the Major."**

**"I do not believe that it would be my place, sir." Saul said quietly. "I…"**

**André interrupted, something he never did, "She trusts you. And she will need someone whom she trusts to pull her out. Go please." Saul half bowed, acknowledging that he would do it. **

DXVJKE

I didn't even know that Saul was there until he touched my shoulder. If any other person had done that, I would have broken his arm off, but Saul was different. There was this sense of peace that came with that slight touch that completely quelled any anger that would have erupted. I looked up at him, suddenly realizing that my music was off.

"Your door was unlocked, I hope that you do not mind my intrusion." I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. I set the untouched whiskey bottle on the floor beside me.

"Have a seat, Saul," he complied, "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, Major, I actually came to ask what I could do for you." I blinked slowly.

"Hmm? Why?"

"André said that you needed to be 'pulled out' of something. I have come to offer my assistance, but I do not understand the problem." I half laughed to my self. André, he never ceases to amaze me. I tried to brush it off.

"André is just being a mother hen, way too over protective of me. There's nothing to worry about, Saul. Really."

"I do not believe that that is essentially correct, Major." There was something in his voice told me that he wasn't about to back down on this issue. "Please, allow me to help you." I sighed. The problem with Saul is that I could NOT say "No" to him, I trusted him too much. I dropped my head into my hands, covering the emotions that I knew were evident on my face. I didn't want him to see me like this.

"I…I envy you, Saul. You can't remember what happened to you, your history. Mine plays endlessly before me. If I'm lucky I can stave it off for a few days, but coming into contact with slave ships…it makes me remember things that I want to bury forever." He was silent. I think he knew that if he just sat there long enough, I would spill. Well, he was right, I knew it, but I still didn't want to open up. I had been alone for too long…

I gasped. His fingers were lying gently on my temples. I don't know how he had moved so quietly that I didn't hear him, but he was there: beside me, before me, inside of me. I could feel his thoughts flitting through my mind. _Let me help you…let me help…_ I wanted to push him away, but it was like fighting against a wall of velvet steel, gentle and impossibly strong. _Analise, don't fight against me, let me help you…_ What did he call me? Analise… Analise was what my mother called me…

DXVJKE

I saw her face. That face, which followed me into my dreams, was now here before me. I could picture her thin face, so regal with the high cheekbones, her eyes that never displayed emotion. She was looking at me the way she did when she was afraid. _Why is she afraid?_ She feared my father. His face flashed before me, that cruel face with the grating eyes, twisted in sadistic pleasure, nowhere near my mother's face, no matter how close their physiology was. Mother was beautiful, and that bastard Romulan…I could feel Saul shiver as waves of anger and pain emanated from my memories. I withdrew, or at least tried to. Saul still would not release me. _What happened to her?_ Mother's face came again, emotionless and calm, and slashed beyond recognition. I saw her die. They made me watch my father beat her to death for trying to protect me from him. He whipped her again and again, first to punish her, but in the end because she would not scream. She would not scream. She only stared at me, whispering my name…Analise. I watched her die. My mother, Elayo, my only protector in that hellish world, was gone.

The next memory that reared up was on a slave ship. It was cold and dark and hopeless. I had been there for four years, in the darkness and the cold. I shuddered from the memory. The door at the far end of the hold opened, two of the slavers threw a large bulk into the cell with me. It didn't move and I was convinced that it, whatever it was, was dead. Until it moaned. I smiled inwardly. André. _You saved him?_ He was so sick. I smuggled medicine, extra food, blankets, and clothes to him. Took him months to get back to some semblance of health. He never left my side after that. Another memory jumped to the foreground. André standing over a Romulan's body, green blood was dripping slowly off of his hands. The slaver had tried to…I shuddered again, desperately suppressing that memory, but it was there long enough for Saul to feel it…

DXVJKE

I felt his hands slowly slip off of my face. A strange feeling passed over me as he extracted his mind from mine; I had grown comfortable behind the wall of velvet steel.

I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around my waist. I had not felt this insecure since my mother died. Saul was staring at me. His eyes were full of, I couldn't tell if it was empathy or sympathy, but he was there. He hadn't run away from the depth of pain that was trapped with in my mind, in my past. This man without a memory had taken some of mine, why?

"I grieve with thee," he said quietly.

"Why did you do that?" I heard myself speak, but my consciousness was miles away.

"One cannot walk that kind of road alone." Silence slowly descended, covering me and giving me time to heal. My mind stood on the threshold of oblivion, about to plunge down into the comforting darkness when Saul spoke again.

"Your father called you Katherine, didn't he?" I jerked my head up. "That is why you cannot stand to hear the name." I looked past him, out to the stars.

"If I ever find him, Saul, I…I don't know what I will do to him."

"Your anger is understandable, but it is not right. Taking another's life out of vengeance will only bring more suffering. It is not the Vulcan way."

"I'm not Vulcan."

"But your mother was." I looked back at him. "Her heritage is within you and you cannot kill your fath—"

"MY FATHER RUINED MY LIFE!" All the rage that I had kept locked within me exploded, and I had no desire tothwart it. "IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR HIM…" I stopped and looked at Saul. He was watching me his eyes unchanged. There was no condemnation or anger in them. I stood and walked away. I could not bear to talk anymore. I felt sorrow well up, following my rage.

"If it had not been for him, you would not be here. Your crew would still be slaves. All the people that you have brought freedom to would still be in chains or dead. I would be dead." He followed me. "Your past is not something that you can run from, Analise. Nor can you destroy those who are responsible for what has happened. It is painful, degrading, enraging, yes; I do not deny that. But if you reply in the same manner, you are no different than he is." I could feel him right behind me. "Who you are and what you have done is nothing to be ashamed of. Accept it and move on. Only a coward hides behind a wall of pain." I turned sharply. He almost smiled. "And I know that you are not a coward." He gently touched my shoulder and left.

DXVJKE

I stood there, in the dark, in the silence, thinking. These few minutes that had passed changed my life. All the anger that I had kept, all the bitterness that had festered in my soul during my life, all the pain I had endured, all the memories that had haunted me were gone. I wasn't afraid of my past anymore. I was only exhausted and yet I had never felt more alive. Saul had done something for me that I could never do on my own. He had thrown me a lifeline and given me peace at the same time.

And then I remembered. In the midst of him probing those dark corners of my mind, I could feel the emptiness that was in his. I knew then more than ever that I needed to get him home.

DXVJKE

So, now we have some of Keath's origin. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. It may be a while before I post the next chapter. I need to sit my muses down and figure out exactly where I want to take this. (Also, I haven't updated my Star Wars story fora long time, and my reviewers there need something to keep them going...) Hope that you enjoyed that. Tell me what you think and what you would like to know next. Until later,  
DarkX


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Spock. There I said it, ya happy? All registered Star Trek technology is not mine; all pirates, ships, characters other than Spock, the Rock, and the Mounties are mine (well, not the real Mounties, they belong to the Canadian Government).

**Notes to my MOST EXCELLENT reviewers:**

**Evilhamster13** : Yes of course I read your profile, I like to know who is reading my story. As for correcting my spelling, THANK YOU! If it weren't for the Grammar/Spelling Nazis of the world, we would have a ton of ill written books. Thank you, I so totally stink at spelling (If it weren't for SpellCheck, I wouldn't write), and I need people like you to keep me in form. And I DO like the Romulans, but I needed a stereotypically "bad" guy for the antagonist. The Romulans are cool, my fave episode of ST:TOS is when Kirk has to hunt the Romulan commander through the Neutral Zone, that was **soooooo cooool**. Mark Lenard made one heck of a good Commander. Thanks for sticking around.  
**Ariennye Dhivae Argelia: **Thank you for the compliment. But allgood things must come to an end, and I am beginning to set up the end of this story as you read this. BUT FEAR NOT! I am already planning the sequal and a sequal to the sequal, so keep your eyes pealed for more of Keath.  
**Schematization** : I am"an expert at handling and dealing with Spock and all his many complexities"? SUCH PRAISE! OOOOH I feel so warm and fuzzy now. Thank you. Yeah, Spock doesn't mind meld with women very much (I can only remember one cannon ep when he melded with a female, the Horta in "Devil in the Dark"), but, come on, I couldn't have Spock without having him meld with SOMEONE! I have worked in some elements of a lingering effect, I really liked that idea, but it is very faint. And don't stop writing, I enjoy hearing what you enjoy. If you are willing to put up with **MY**ramblings, thenI will surely read yours.  
**Onaleia:** If you're out there, hon, I hope you still are reading this. I missed seeing your notes in the review box. Hoping you're doing okay...

Chapter 9

Saturdays are for Home

The first few days after raiding a slave ship are insane. Sickbay goes crazy, performing the healing arts on people who had never seen a doctor before. Bunks and cabins get jammed, sometimes we have to bed people down in the cargo bays, the corridors are crammed, but strangely, everyone is happy. Once our passengers get it into their collective heads that they are now free, even the most dejected are filled with new life. Freedom does that to people. Life seems worth living when you don't have to fear for it. Only now, the hard part began: trying to figure out who wanted to stay, who was going, who needed what, who had relatives within the ship, all the logistics that I usually hated that I now took pleasure in. Like I said, freedom does that to people.

I picked my way down crowded corridors that morning. All night I had sat and sorted out the memories that Saul's mind-meld had snapped to the forefront of my life. Getting no sleep, I was edgy and itching to do something. So I was headed to sickbay to pester Carpenter. As I walked, I watched the faces of ex-slaves in the corridors. Confusion and joy and amazed shock were blended together to give the impression that this was a momentous occasion for them. I knew how they felt. Sickbay's doors opened just as I was about to enter, and I almost collided with the man I had come to see. Carpenter was trying to juggle a tricorter, three data pads, his med-kit, and sign something, while giving directions to three different nurses at one time. I stopped short of slamming into him; Carpenter almost dropped half the stuff he was holding, a bad sign. The doctor was usually one of the most graceful people that I knew of, but when he was clumsy that meant one of three things. Either A) he was extremely stressed, B) he was extremely angry, or C) he was extremely excited. When in the former two conditions, one tended to avoid him, but when he was in the latter, he was a heck of a lot of fun to be around.

"Hey, Doc, what's up?" I decided to brave the odds and hope that he had something to be excited about.

"Keath! You nearly gave me a heart attack. Don't you know it's rude to go sneaking up on people?" He stooped to pick up on of the fallen data pads, the nurses, having received instructions, were moving to fulfill their duties. I grinned.

"Easy, mate. I seriously doubt that you're gonna die of heart failure. And I didn't sneak up on you, I didn't even know that you were behind the door."

"Sorry, I'm just a little harried at the moment. All these new people, I've hardly got staff enough to handle them. Half a hundred have black lung disease, twelve cases of radiation poisoning, scattered second and third degree burns, most children have some kind of parasite in them, half of them have a kind of flu that I've never seen before, oh and not to mention the malnutrition, dehydration, infections, stunted growth—"

"I get it, Doc, slow down. How long will it be before I can think about releasing them?" He ran an empty hand through uncombed hair and sighed, thinking.

"I dunno, Keath. Could be tomorrow, could be next week. It all depends on how long our medical supplies can hold. We've never taken this many slaves in at one time, I'm a little pressed."

"Doctor Carpenter." One of the nurses stood at the end of the corridor and called for him.

"Gotta go, stuff to do. Check back later." He hurried off, still trying to maintain a hold on all the stuff that he was carrying. I half laughed to myself and wandered over to a com unit on the wall.

"Keath to bridge."

"Bridge, Hannah here, Ma'am."

"Hey Hannah, what's our status?"

"We are currently headed to Red Rock, Ma'am. Speed is warp five, ETA eight hours, most of the lower decks are filled with the haul from the Romulan ship, and André requested that you contact him when you are ready."

"Where is he?"

"Cargo bay 1, Ma'am. I believe he is overseeing the registration process. Do you want me to call him?"

"No, I'm halfway there, I'll go see him myself. Thanks, Keath out." I began to pick my way to the nearest turbolift.

DXVJKE

"ANDRE!" I called out over the throng of some seven score people in the largest bay. I waited and saw the massive bulk of my first officer shift slightly in the corner. Moving along the edges of the throng, I was able to see him, Saul, Pilot, Gunner, Duo, and some twenty techs registering people. Tables and computer terminals had been laid out along one wall, in front of which the ex-slaves were standing in long lines that snaked back into the far reaches of the bay. Each slave walked forward, said his or her name, the names of their parents, how old they were, where they were born, what race they were of, what they had been doing for the last five years, and what skills, if any, they had. It was a very long, slow, process but a necessary one. Once that mass of data was collected, it would be sifted to find who needed to learn a life skill, who was ready to move out into the world, who would be qualified to remain on the Assurance, and who was too young to have a choice.

"André," I finally got up behind the tables. "How's it going?" The Titan looked down at me and smiled. André always enjoyed this part; he considered it the first step to freedom.

"Good," he smiled again and took me over to a separate computer terminal where there was a partial readout of what they had collected so far. "We are almost done. Only need the info from the critical patients now." I started scanning over the list.

"Whoa," I let out a slow breath. "There are a heck of a lot of ex soldiers." André nodded.

"Political prisoners." I nodded grimly and turned back to the screen. When the Romulans conquered another world, the military of that world along with most of the lower levels of the political system were enslaved to remove all those who could become rebellious. Other professions included engineering, computer specialists and programmers, half a dozen cooks, a lot of miners, and nearly a hundred children (we considered anyone a child who was between the ages of infancy to sixteen years of age).

"Interesting lot. How many wounded total?"

"Almost all of them, by the doctor's count. Sixty some are in serious to critical condition."

"That's not too bad." I looked over the crowd. "Any families?"

"Some siblings and marrieds, no parents." André seemed to be watching me closely. I expected it; he was looking for any signs of anger that would spontaneously erupt from within me. But my encounter with Saul had quenched my usual frustration. I glanced over to the Vulcan, patiently interviewing and scrupulously entering the information into his computer. I could almost feel him, still with in my mind; it was intangible, like the effects of a strange dream, there but unremembered. I blinked and stood up from the computer terminal. "Hannah says that we should be at the Rock by next shift, you guys gonna be done by then?"

"Yes. I am about to send the techs to question the doctor's patients. Orders, major?"

"Nah, I'm gonna be on the bridge, you come up when this is done." The Titan nodded and watched me as I slowly left.

DXVJKE

"We are entering hailing distance of Red Rock One." Saul calmly said. Eight hours had practically flew by. My officers had returned to the bridge, Carpenter had given clean bills of health to the majority of our passengers, all the data had been collected, and we were ready for some major R&R.

"Hannah," I started.

"We are being hailed, Major." She turned and smiled.

"On screen," I said. The view-screen flickered from the stars and asteroids that we had been looking at to the picture of a youngish humanoid male.

"We have you on our scanners. Please identify yourself immediately." He spoke with mechanical coldness.

"This is Harper of the Crimson Assurance, I would like to speak to Walsh on a matter of urgency."

"Walsh isn't here right now, may I take a message?" The coldness changed to computer-like stupor.

"Tell him, if he doesn't let me get to my base, I'm gonna start asteroid plinking." The human smiled.

"Welcome back, Major, we missed you. Bay three is open and ready for you, defenses lowered, come on in."

"Thanks Mik. Docking now." He smiled again and faded from the screen. Pilot smoothly guided the Assurance towards a massive asteroid, which, as we drew closer, flickered and various metallic structures were visible. Three long arms extended from its sides; two of them were occupied with a mid-sized ship each, while the third was empty. The Assurance deftly glided to this empty arm, gently nuzzled up to it and with, a loud clanking sound that rang through the body of the ship, came to a rest.

"Hannah, gimme all ship."

"All ship ready, Ma'am." My voice took that echo-y effect again.

"All hands, the is the Major. We are at Red Rock One to get some repairs. Shore leave is issued to all hands until further notice. But stick close to home, I want to be ready at a moment's notice. All previous occupants of the Romulan slave ship are to proceed immediately to Cargo Bay 1 and await instructions. That is all." I clicked off the intercom and addressed my officers. "Right, ladies and gents, let get this over with. Duo, fix my ship please." The engineer grinned as fiddling with the innards of the Assurance was his greatest pleasure. The rest of us trooped to our various turbolifts to head down to Cargo Bay 1. Saul, who was in with me, Katra, and Hannah, took the opportunity to ask what we were doing.

"Handing out badges." Katra said with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

"For what purpose?"

"The Major will explain. Just wait." The doors opened to reveal a corridor teeming with life. We entered the bay along with some twenty other people. Most of the slaves were there already there, with more pouring in by the minute. André and the rest of the command team had gathered around one of our small shuttles, waiting for me. I walked over to André.

"Can I have a leg up?" He nodded, stooped and opened his huge hand. I stepped in it and he effortlessly lifted me to the height of the shuttle. I stepped onto its roof and shot him a thank-you look. When people stopped coming in, I held up my hand and waited for silence, not that it was noisy to begin with.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," my voice reverberated off the walls, giving everyone a chance to hear. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Keath Harper, and I am the commanding officer of this ship. I am a pirate but I am not a slaver. I have no use for two hundred and thirty some slaves so you are all free to go where you please." A quiet murmur ran through the crowd. It grew then subsided as I stood there waiting. "Right, so I want to give you a few choices for what to do with your new freedom. First, my ship is always open to any of you who want to join. There are very few rules here but those that exist I expect to be obeyed completely. If you want to join or just want more information see me sometime later." Another murmur rippled through then silence reigned again.

"Second, we are now docked at my home base. There are some twenty main places for employment and a hundred smaller ones. Quarters, schools, a hospital, and many other amenities are available to those who want to live here. We are going to be docked here for a while, so look around and see if you would like to live here. Third, if either of these options are unappealing to you, I will personally escort you to any spaceport in the nearby vicinity and give you a sum of currency to help you start a new life." A very loud murmur moved about as these ideas were discussed.

"ONE LAST THING," I called above the rumble, silence slowly wrested control of the room. "Children, that's all of you who are younger than sixteen years of age, you MUST stay at the Rock until you reach the age of sixteen. I cannot allow any of you to go wandering around the galaxy in your young age, it is not right and is not condonable. However, when you turn sixteen you will be given the choice of staying, going or joining my ship. I will not allow any adult to stay here against his or her will, so whatever you choose it doesn't have to be permanent. Finally," I gestured down to my officers standing at the base of the shuttle; "My officers have badges here which they will distribute to you. DO NOT TAKE THESE OFF WHILE YOU ARE ON THE ROCK! This is the only means that we have of identifying or finding anyone. If you get separated from a family member or friend this is the only way we have to find them. We will also be using this as a kind of communication device." I held one up.

"When the badge flashes red, it means that someone is trying to contact you. Press the center disc and speak. If you ever have a problem, press the center disc and speak to the communications people. I cannot emphasize this enough. DO NOT TAKE THESE OFF! DO NOT TRADE THEM! AND DO NOT USE THE COM BUTTON FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN AN EMERGENCY! That is the only rule that I have. When you have received your badge, leave here and follow the arrows to leave the ship. You will be contacted and told where you are bunking during your stay here. Please enjoy your stay on the Rock. Ask questions of anyone, explore places, find out if you like it at the Rock or on my ship. Just DON'T TAKE OFF YOUR BADGE! Alright? Good. Go get your badge and have a good stay at the Rock."

There was a mad push as people came to get their badges, but in time it changed into a semblance of order as they lined up. Two hours passed and the cargo bay was empty.

DXVJKE

"What are you gonna do, Kat?" We were walking towards the docking station and, as we usually did, discussed plans for what we were going to do with our leave.

"I was thinking about running a few simulations with the Assurance's computer. Pilot?"

"Me and Gunner are gonna organize a tourney with the new hotshots, see if any of them have chutzpa. André?"

"Garden." We all laughed. André had a passion for plants that was unmatched by anyone I knew. When we first designed the Rock, he carved out niches all through the asteroid to house flowers, shrubs, trees, water-gardens, rock gardens and the like. Whenever we came home, André would spend hours on hours tending them and designing more. It was a kind of joke, that a giant would have a green thumb, but that was the essence of André's personality. Carpenter appeared at the far end of the corridor, waved at us and ran up.

"Hey Doc, what are ya gonna do?" Gunner yelled as he slowed down.

"Sleep. That was about the busiest that we've ever been and I am dead tired."

"Yeah, but you can only sleep for so long," Hannah said. "What then?"

"Probably restock the med supplies, get some candy, and then go see my boys." Carpenter was the only person on the Assurance who had family. His three sons, Jack, Chris and Michael, were fully-grown and had families of their own. When Carpenter came back to the Rock, he immediately became "Boompa" and was lost in a sea of eleven grandchildren all clamoring for his attention. And he spoiled them rotten. "What about you, Hannah?"

"Shop, what else?" The communications officer grinned.

"Keath?" The doctor turned to me.

"Hmm?"

"What are you gonna do with your leave?"

"Do some paperwork." Laughs and groans filled the party. My longstanding joke was saying that I was doing paperwork when I was really doing anything but.

"No really. What are you gonna do?"

"I have no clue. Just hang, I guess. Make sure Duo doesn't soup up the Assurance too much."

"What about you, Saul?" The Vulcan looked slightly puzzled.

"As I am unfamiliar with your base, I intended to stay aboard the Assurance and assist Duo." That brought some distinct cries of outrage.

"Like hell you are."

"Saul, you can't do that."

"That's work."

"Yeah, and shore leave is for fun not work."

"Duo is…" he tried to protest.

"Duo is one of those strange people who take pleasure in poking at the insides of a dilithium matrix." Katra said.

"Now I know what I'll do," I said triumphantly, turning to Saul. "I'm gonna give you the nickel tour of the Rock." He looked at me quizzically.

"What exactly is a 'nickel tour'?"

"It means I'm gonna show you what life on the Rock is like, and you're gonna enjoy it. We'll find something for you to do that's fun."

"I do not believe that 'fun' is logical."

"Hey! What'd I tell you about pirates? We don't do logic." We were now standing in a small anteroom headed towards a set of double doors beyond. I paused just before them and turned to my newest officer. "Saul, welcome to Red Rock One." The doors opened to reveal huge cavern with an arched roof that extended some eighty feet upwards. Studded in the sides of the cavern were small shops, windows, catwalks, turbolifts, doors, and hundreds of people. The cavern was egg shaped, gently sloping down beneath us to the center. There, at the bottom, was a huge garden. Lush trees, bushes, grasses, and flowers created a mini oasis of life in a sea of stone and steel. Saul glanced around, taking in the architecture of the room. I grinned.

"This is our main center of activity, we call it the Egg. All of the large structures are built into naturally occurring pockets within the asteroid. Because they existed already, we were pretty assured that they wouldn't crumble, and they haven't, but we still supplemented the pockets with steel frames." I led him towards one of the turbolifts. "Natural shafts connected one pocket to another, so we built the turbolifts within them. Smaller pockets were hollowed out and interwoven to make dwelling places for our residents." The lift came. "The lower half of the asteroid is devoted to the more technical aspects of a base, including the base command, engineering, training stations, communications, defensive systems, and the like. The upper half is all home devoted. That's where our schools, nurseries, gardens, galleys and most of the homes are. In the middle we have the hospital, several small doctor's offices, the shopping district, and lots and lots of small businesses." We stepped in and the turbolift's computer waited for instructions. "What would you like to see first?" Saul never got the chance to answer. An angry klaxon filled the asteroid and the cavern outside.

"Damn, Command center. Now."

"Please state name and access code." The computer's monotonous voice was very out of touch with the pounding insanity of the klaxon.

"Keath Harper. Access code 21Alpha7dash64FoxtrotZion."

"Code accepted. Please hold on." The lift seemed to drop beneath our feet.

"Major," Saul started, "I don't believe it would be proper for…"

"Save it." The doors opened and I stepped out into a long cylindrical cavern. Computer banks and terminals lined every wall on three decks. Huge view-screens angled down from the ceiling, detailing the various sides of the base. I raced along the center catwalk to a large platform in the middle of the cavern. Seven people of varying races were seated there; six of which each faced a section of the cavern and gave orders to the operators below. The seventh sat in a chair in the center constantly twisting to direct the six persons around him. It was to this central figure that I moved.

"MATT!" He whipped around, saw me and a small smile broke out on his tense face. "Matt what the bloody hell is going on here?"

"Major," he tried to rise from the central chair, but I gestured him back down. "Dam, is it good to see you. Long range mounts picked up…" His attention was attracted by the figure who had followed me. I turned, glanced at Saul, and at the armed guards behind him, turned back to Matt and made some quick introductions.

"Saul, this is Matthias Walsh commanding officer for Red Rock One. Matt, Saul's the newest member of my bridge crew. He's clean and I vouch for him so tell the goons to back off." Matt nodded to the guards, who immediately returned to their stations. "Now, what did the Mounties see?"

"Single bogie. Just on the outside of the asteroid field. It's hesitating there, I don't know when it's going to come in, but having it wait on our doorstep isn't very reassuring."

"Specs?"

"Unable to tell, it's just outside our ability to get a lock on it, but we estimate that it's big enough to give us trouble." He looked up at me as if waiting.

"What do you think?" He blinked.

"With you here I was—"

"Rock's your command, Matt. I'm just here to offer my help. What do you want me to do?" He thought and was about to answer when one of the chairs turned toward him.

"Commander, long range mount seven is informing that the bogie is moving off."

"Seconded, Tase?" The chair paused.

"Confirmed by mounts six, eight, and fourteen. Bogie is circumnavigating around the edge of the asteroid field. Heading is…" Another pause. "Heading is zero-zero-six-mark-one-five-four-mark-three-one-four: the Federation, sir."

"Keep a lock on them 'til we're sure."

"Aye, sir." Matt turned back to me.

"I think I won't be needing your services, Major. Thank you though."

"No problem, Matt. You call if you need me, it's what I'm here for." He smiled.

"You have no idea how glad I am of it, Ma'am." He touched a button on his comlink. "This is Walsh. Secure from general quarters. Repeat secure from general quarters." The klaxons died and a collective sigh could be heard emanating from the asteroid. I grinned.

"See you later Matt. Hey, when are you off from duty?"

"Nineteen hundred, Ma'am."

"Good, come on up to Nick's, we can do stat-reports over a beer."

"That would be wonderful, Ma'am. I want to catch you up on the split project."

"Excellent. See you then." I moved off the deck, back to the turbolift. Saul followed. I leaned back against the lift's wall and sighed with relief.

"Something wrong, Major?" I felt that shadowy presence again; I could almost feel his concern for me.

"No, that's the thing. My one fear these days is that someone will find the Rock. When André and I designed this place, the first thing we did was equip it with one of the best defense systems, but even that could be penetrated. Right now, there are some two and a half thousand people on this asteroid. Ninety-five percent of them are ex-slaves, sixty percent are children, if something happened to this place, if I was unable to defend it…" I rubbed my eyes. Saul was quiet.

I straightened up, "Right, lemme show you around the Rock."

DXVJKE

Good grief that was long. Hope you liked it (tell me in a review!). Next chapter may take a while, I have major amounts of homwork to catch up on and the other story i'm writing and planning the sequal forCrimson and editing for a friend of mine and, well, my life is swamped. So, hope this holds youover for a bit. Anyone have any ideas as to what the "Split Project" is? Be good and review.  
DarkX


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I DON'T OWN STAR TREK!

**Notes:**

**Schematization:** I'm glad that you still like it and are still reading. As for the blip of a ship...hmmm...read on...andI do like your characters.  
**knight who says neep:** Wow!A new reviewer! (does Happy Dance) So glad that you like my story enough to call for an update twice. I do hope that this satisfies you. I do have a question...Exactly what do you mean by "Monty Pythons references. It's funny and it actually makes sense." ? DidI use another of their lines? I read through and could only find the one in chapter 6...I wonder. Still, I am glad that you are enjoying my submission to the world of STFF.  
**_What happened to my other reviewers? Sniff I miss y'all... Hope you read this and review..._**

Chapter 10

Sunday's Peace, Monday's War

The rest of the week passed uneventfully. I showed Saul around the rest of the Rock, and I think he enjoyed it. He was most interested in the engineering wing's computer lab and in the hospital's medical lab. In those few days I learned more about Saul than I thought possible. He possessed, in addition to his intuitive scanning ability, wicked computer skills and a keen interest in any and all forms of science. He was, eventually, able to convince me to allow him to return to the Assurance to work with Duo. And from what Duo told me later, Saul had completely rewired the bridge's comp network in sixteen hours. I was very impressed. The bridge of the Assurance had more crossed wires than a telephone operator's convention. Deciphering what wire goes to what system and how fast the connection is takes advanced degrees in tunneling and electrical engineering, as well as x-ray vision and very long arms. Like I said, the guy's got mad skills.

I spent my shore leave doing three things: sleeping, reading, and teaching. After the false alarm, I slept for fifteen hours straight, got up, showered, ate, read a little, and slept for another twelve. Sleep is a precious commodity on a pirate ship, and captains get next to none as a rule, so I slept a lot and did precious little else. Well, except for reading. My reserved quarters on the Rock had barely enough room for a bed and a chair. All other space was filled with books, paper books with leather and cloth binding that smelled of dust and mothballs and years of sitting in someone's attic. I considered that room to be a small corner of heaven. I had books from every author, from every planet, from every time period, sitting on shelves, in boxes, in trunks, under my bed, and covering almost every square inch of my room. I would read for hours, stop and sleep. This was my habit for two days. Then I was overwhelmed with a case of cabin fever and proceeded to do something else: teach.

The upper levels of the school are devoted to teaching skills. These can range from business management to medicine and cover just about everything in between. My rules for the occupants of the Rock is that they can leave whenever they wish, and I make sure that if they want to leave they have a skill that they can survive off of. If there are at three students and someone willing to teach, then there's a class for it. Computer tech, medicine, engineering, and flight school had the highest enrollment, but other classes include the useful: cooking, teaching, accounting; the interesting: agriculture, botany, biology, psychology; and the odd: pottery, smithy, knitting. A lot of the participants of certain classes had every intention of staying on the Rock or else moving to another spaceport somewhere, but a few had their sights set on joining the crew of the Assurance. And it was to these that I spent the next three days with.

We called them Cameron's Crazies, because the instructor, Bo Cameron, could whip a bunch of raw greenhorns into the most disciplined, obedient, fearlessly maniacal group of pirates that ever lived. I always spent a couple of days with the Crazies, picking out the ones that I would recruit when they were old enough, those who weren't what I was looking for went into the Rock's security team and waited until I thought that they were ready. When I left the sanctum of my private library, I went directly to the Crazies' training room. There were fifteen of them this year, which was a pretty big group; usually the number of Crazies was somewhere around nine or ten. Three Klingons, a Cardassian, four Andorians, the rest were humanoids. I was scanning the group when something caught my eye. Two of the humanoids were young women. That was really odd. First because not many women of any race want to be pirates, and secondly because Bo was insanely tough on the Crazies. These girls had to be either raving lunatics or they had major grit. I noted that, definitely worth looking into. When I walked into the room, all the Crazies froze and stared at me. Bo walked up calmly; a huge grin was on his face.

"Major Harper! What a surprise, though I must say I was expecting you. How is life on the Assurance?" The Crazies began to collect and softly whisper to one another.

"Better than fine. That last bunch of kids you sent me are working out fine. I don't know how you do it, Bo, but every year's group is better than the last."

"I aim to please, Harper, you know that." Bo was probably the only person who called me by my surname. "So, anything that I can do for you?" I looked behind him at the kids.

"Think that they're ready for a free-for-all?" He turned, sized them up for a couple seconds and gave his opinion.

"Yeah, maybe. But you gotta be gentle with them, Harper; they're still green, and I swore up down and sideways to their parents that they wouldn't get hurt too bad." I grinned.

"I promise I won't break too many bones." He turned and walked back to the Crazies.

"Alright, listen up. This is Major Keath Harper, commanding officer of the Crimson Assurance, and, if you're lucky enough, your new boss. Now the major wants to see how good you are, so here's what we're gonna do." I walked over to the wall and pulled off my boots and socks, still listening. "I want a nice clean free for all. Objective is to get Harper to surrender." I grinned and started stretching. "You can use any means you want, team up or fight alone, but you can't use any weapons." I walked to the center of the mat. "Understood?" Heads nodded and the Crazies began to make a circle around me. I slowly rolled my shoulders, eyes closed, I tensed up and waited.

The three Klingons attacked first. They came at me from three different sides, attacking with an improvised set of martial arts. Pretty good but not good enough. I dodged the first one, grabbed the arm of the second and swung him into the third. The Cardassian came next, he tried to hit me a couple of times, I got bored and kicked his feet out from under him. Two of the Andorians tried a frontal assault, while the other two came in from behind. They might have actually done some damage except for the fact that the Klingons threw themselves in the mix. The seven of them got really tangled up and the all ended on the floor. I didn't have to throw a punch. While they were trying to get up, four of the humans launched themselves at me. I evaded their attacks for a few seconds and then bolted. I leapt over the still struggling mass of Klingons and Andorians, while the humans pushed the group back down and got caught in it.

The only three that hadn't tried to fight me so far were human, including the two women. I stood there watching them, but they didn't move. I heard the Klingon behind me before he tried to hit me in the back of the head. I grabbed his arm as it went by and flipped him over my shoulder. When I came up from the throw, it was into the fist of the human male. He caught me square in the stomach, forcing all the wind out of my lungs. I doubled over, waited for him to come a little closer and then whipped my head upwards into his skull. That bought me time to breath, but gave me a wonderful view of the galaxy from inside my eyes. He staggered backwards and the girls jumped in, fists flying. They tried to repeat the guy's blow to my stomach, but I was prepared for it this time. I blocked the punches and moved to keep them both facing me, but that caused the guy to come in from the back. He grabbed me around my torso, trying to pin my arms to my side as the girls rushed in to take advantage of the situation. I waited to the last second, then jumped and kicked against the girls, throwing the guy backwards, and giving me enough room to break out of his grasp. They righted themselves quickly and rushed back in towards me. I noticed then that none of the other Crazies were trying to attack, I found that slightly odd, but I didn't complain. These three were a handful in and of themselves. They didn't attack but instead took strategic stances around me and waited. They wanted me to go offensive. So I did. I feinted to the girl in front of me and then, as the other two moved in, I kicked back at the guy and dropped under the other two girls. They were now all on one side, ready to charge again when they all froze and stared at me.

I was holding my Schnauers level with their heads. The safety's were off on both my guns and I was smiling slightly.

"I thought…this was supposed to be…a fair fight…" The guy protested panting.

"Since when do pirates play fair?" My smile broke into a grin and I snapped the safety back on. "You three fight well, very fluidly. What areyour names?"

"I'm Will, these are my sisters Sarah and Beth." He nodded to the two girls.

"You're siblings?"

"Yes, ma'am, triplets." Sarah said.

"You rescued us from the Orion ship Nytakagh two years ago." Beth added. "We want to be on the Assurance some day, to save others."

"You keep fighting like that and…" I stopped as a klaxon began to blare again. "What the…?" I holstered my guns snatched up my boots and raced out the door. "ThanksBoI'llcatchyalater!"

I raced down the hallway to the newest turbolift. I jumped in, yelled my destination and security codes and yanked on my boots while the lift shot down into the depths of the Rock. The doors opened to almost an exact copy of the first day down here. Matt looked up and met me halfway down the catwalk.

"Major. You may want to recall the Assurance's crew."

"What? Is it that bad?" He nodded.

"We're not sure but we believe that this is the same ship that grazed us before." We were at the main dais. "It sat there for five minutes before we sounded the klaxon. We believe that they're looking for something, but aren't ready to enter the field. If they accidentally bump into the Rock…" He trailed off. I understood.

"Can you put me on the Rock's intercom?" He nodded and walked down to one of the chairs. The chair's operator flipped a few switches and handed the microphone to me.

"All hands of the Assurance, this is the Major. We're pulling out in seven minutes. Repeat, all crew of the Assurance are to report to their stations in seven minutes." I handed it back to the operator and began to move towards the turbolift. Matt was right behind me.

"Orders, Major?" I paused and looked at him.

"The Rock is on silent run until I come back. No communications, no contact, keep an eye on the bogie. If we're not back within two hours, go on lockdown. If all else fails…you know what to do." He nodded. We shook hands and I walked out.

DXVJKE

The Assurance was a hive of controlled insanity. Crewmen and women were moving rapidly to be at their stations in time. I raced up to the bridge to find that the majority of my bridge crew was already there. Pilot and Gunner were calmly seated at their stations, Kat and Duo were quietly discussing something behind me, Hannah was at her station making notations of which stations were manned, Saul was waiting at the SINS controller, and André stepped on the bridge a few moments behind me with Carpenter next to him. I glanced and then stared at my CMO. Carpenter rarely came up onto the bridge and when he did he was at least presentable.

"Doc, why are you covered in…is that paint?" He shrugged and grinned at the same time.

"Hey, you called me away from a very important undertaking to educate my grandchildren in artistic endeavors."

"You were finger-painting again?"

"Call it what you will, but when certain CO's call their officers, said CO should not be surprised in what condition said officer arrives in." I laughed softly.

"Don't worry, if all goes well, you'll be back to your art education in an hour."

"Then if you'll excuse me, I'll use this hour to reorganize sickbay." He stepped back into the turbolift. Hannah turned towards me.

"Ma'am? All stations report full compliment, all hands present and accounted for."

"Good. Duo, how are my engines?"

"I can give you warp ten in a moment's notice." I twisted to look up at him.

"TEN?"

"Yup, when I recalibrated the engines and coupled them with Saul's reworked computer systems, we upped the drive's capability. Warp ten." I whistled.

"Will it hold?"

"Are you doubting me, boss? Don't worry, I ran the whole thing through a thousand different simulations, mostly because I couldn't believe the results myself. They'll last."

"Alright, Pilot, take us out. Kat, shields up and cloak on full. Gunner, I want weapons charged and ready. Silent runnings. Saul, tell me when we get near that ship." The Assurance began to pull away from the Rock, slipping out of the base's protective cloak and into her own.

"Heading, Ma'am?" Pilot asked.

"Drop us underneath the asteroid field and circle around the ship. We'll come at her from the back. Take it nice and easy, I don't want the Bogie to know that we're here." Pilot nodded and began to smoothly work the controls. The Assurance skillfully evaded the asteroids floating around her and dropped softly under the field. Moving at warp two, she straightened out and dove towards the last known position of the Bogie.

"Ship is approaching on long range scanners."

"Cut power and drift by her. Saul amass all information you can on that ship."

"Aye, Major." We dropped out of warp and glided underneath the Bogie. The Assurance was moving at considerable speed, but Saul had enough time to get some considerable info. When we were out of their sensor range I gave orders to jump to warp five for a few minutes and circle back around.

"Whatcha get?" Saul began to repeat the information.

"Ship is of Federation design, a Constitution-class Starship. Four-hundred twenty nine sentient life forms are aboard. Maximum speed is estimated at warp 9. Armaments: energy based shielding, forward phaser banks and photon torpedoes. Standard warp nacelles, impulse power, maneuvering capabilities are high."

"Does she have a name?" Call it a quirk, but I preferred to know the name of my adversary.

"Yes. The USS Enterprise, NCC 1701. Captained by James Kirk."

"No kidding?" I grinned. "Sweet. Kirk's a bloody living legend. Let's see how good he is. Pilot, take us straight at that ship. Kat take the cloak down."

"Ma'am?"

"You heard me, I don't want to tip my hand just yet." The Assurance turned and streaked towards the Enterprise with all the audacity of a pirate.

"We are within their scanning range now, Major."

"Ma'am, the Enterprise is hailing us."

"Onscreen." A human appeared on the view screen and I assumed that he was the captain. He was youngish, mid thirties I'd think, with light brown hair and hazel eyes, over all kind cute. CUTE? What the hell am I thinking? He's a bloody Fed, probably hasn't done a dishonest deed in his life.

"I'm Captain James Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Please identify yourself and your purpose for being here."

"Like hell I will." I lounged back in my chair, to give the air of apparent easiness.

"Excuse me?"

"Y'all ain't in Fed turf no more, dude, an' I don't have to tell you jack. Now would you be so kind as to get the bloody hell out of my way before I carve a tunnel through your gut." I always assumed the mantel of "Ruthless Cutthroat" when dealing with Fed's; we pirates had a reputation to uphold after all. He seemed slightly taken aback at my manner, but his eyes instantly hardened.

"I don't believe that I have to do anything of that nature, miss. We're here on a peaceful exploration mission and I don't want any trouble."

"Good. Move."

"I don't take orders from pirates and certainly not from one so discourteous as to not tell me her name."

"Discourteous?" I laughed derisively. "Alright then, you can call me Viper. Now will you get out of my way?"

"No." There was ice in his voice.

"Damn. Well, then I'm gonna have to shoot you. Nice chatting and all, but you really gotta work on your people skills." I nodded at Hannah and she cut him off before he was able to reply.

"Gunner, give 'em a nice kick in the pants, really stir up the hornet's nest. As soon as they're ready to follow, cut and run." Pilot and Gunner grinned at each other and began plotting their moves. The Assurance blasted at the Enterprise, not too hard, but enough to get his attention. Pilot jerked her sideways so that the return shots only grazed her side. The Enterprise shifted to follow us and fired again, catching the starboard shield dead on. Gunner fought back, giving them enough to show that we meant business. But my order for cut and run meant that we were to conserve power for later. The Enterprise killed the starboard shield and hid the forward hard. Kirk apparently knew what he was doing.

"Punch it and circle around, catch 'em off balance. Don't go above warp four." Pilot nodded and gunned the Assurance to warp two, yanking her away from the Enterprise. She then tightly arched backwards and Gunner dropped another payload on them. The Enterprise tried to hit on the starboard side again, but Pilot dropped us down and curved away so that the shot went wide.

"Enterprise's forward and port shields are down to ten percent power. They are in pursuit. Estimated time to overtake is four minutes."

"Take her up to warp five and head to the nearest Fed outpost, keep sniping at him." The Assurance took a sharp turn as Pilot altered her course and raced us towards the Federation. The Enterprise increased her speed to pursue.

"Estimate time to overtake is six minutes at this speed."

"Alright, hold it for a few more seconds then on my mark, all stop and shoot them in the back." The Enterprise wasn't shooting at us, probably to conserve power for their shields and thrusters.

"Mark." The Assurance went from flying to dead in an instant and Gunner through everything we had at them. The Enterprise lurched and stopped, but it was too late.

"Hit on the starboard nacelle. I believe that it is disabled, Major. They are preparing to fire."

"Warp ten and cloak us. Get us out of here!" The Enterprise lashed out, but hit nothing. For all intents and purposes, we weren't there. I exhaled slowly.

"Well, that was fun." I got a bunch of looks from all corners of the bridge and I grinned. "Pilot, take us back to the Rock by the long way and take an easy route, I don't want them following us."

"Aye, Ma'am."

"Hannah, put me on with the Rock." She paused turned to look at me and nodded.

"Matt, we got 'em. Crippled the ship about three thousand light years from here. They won't be causing any trouble now. Take the Rock off of alert and we'll be home in six hours or so." Hannah touched her earpiece and listened.

"Red Rock One acknowledges message and says they'll keep the porch light on for us."

"Good."

**He was having trouble focusing. There was something in the back of his mind that was nagging at him, like a grain of sand stuck in his eye. This thing, this internal itch had started ever since the confrontation with the Federation vessel. At first he had tried to brush it off as a shadow of a memory that was triggered by the encounter with something from his supposed home. But this thought would not go away so easily and it was beginning to disrupt his work. He had been trying to fine-tune some calibrations to the computer, and now he could not think. It was being too much of a bother. He needed to mediate, to focus his thoughts and feelings to examining this thought. **

"Major will you please excuse me?" I turned to Saul, puzzled by his request.

"Sure, Saul, go ahead." He stood from the SINS station and headed towards the turbo-lift. "You okay?" He paused before entering.

"I do not know."

DXVJKE

For those of you who haven't guessed already, yes I am bringing this story to a close. I would like to have one more real chapter and an epilogue to make an even dozen mouse clicks for my readers. Speaking of clicks for my readers, if you click that little tab in the bottom right corner of your screen you can send me a review and I LOVE getting reviews! And do stick around, I have some fun stuff planned for the next chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!  
DarkX


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I still don't own StarTrek, quit bugging me...I COMPLETELY made up the whole text that "came" from the Pirate Code (Though I took the idea from Pirates of the Carribean, so please don't sue me for that). I hope it sounds authentic enough.

**Notes to my reviewers who have come back!**

**Schematization: **Yes, James finally made an appearance, and he's back again...but that's all I'll say about that. And I do kinda copy the qualities of our favorite crew, but come on, how can you not? there are things about James and Leonard and Spock that I LOVE! and I freely copy them (Iimatation is, after all, the highest form of flattery). But there are differences, can you see James pulling a gun ina fair fight? come on, the Captain doesn't do that sort of thing. Thank you for faithfully reviewing. Hope to see you at the sequal...  
**isadax:** A NEW REVIEWER! (does Happy Dance) sorry that you came in on the tail end, but I hope that you enjoyed it. yes,I am bringing it to a close, but I have at least two sequals in the works, so stick around, you may see something new soon...  
**Ariennye Dhivae Argelia:** My dear, 'salright. I just wanted to know if you were okay (andI see that you are). Don't be sad, all good things must come to an end, but the sequal is coming...so just wait...  
**Onaleia:** That's quite alright, thank you, I shall try, and I hope that you do.

**Yes, friends, this is it, the last **(real)** chapter. BUT! AN EPILOGUE SHALL COME BY THE END OF THE WEEK **(I hope) **! SO PLEASE STAY TUNED! A**ndI aplogize for all the dialogue...

Chapter 11

One More Day

Pilot was taking a very insane route back to the Rock, which took twice as much time as normal, and we were moving at warp three, which took three times long, so I basically took everyone off of normal shifts and went to my cabin two hours ago. I was a little worried about Saul. He never took a shift off, never left in the middle of one, and I'm pretty sure that he never would unless something was drastically wrong. But I didn't know what and I didn't want to ask.

People didn't open up well on the Assurance. On the face, it was because no one was ever here long enough to really develop a relationship of trust, but the real reason was that no one wanted to open up. There were too many wounds, too much pain that you thought no one else would understand. Saul had taught me differently, but old habits die hard.

So I sat in my quarters for two hours, contemplating everything and nothing. André had the bridge, the Rock was safe from the chance that the Enterprise might find it anytime soon, there was an air of merriment and levity after the threat of discovery passed, and I was lost inside the maze of my despair. I was afraid for no apparent reason and yet I knew exactly what that reason was. The Rock had been so close to being detected and was still safe in its anonymity only by that twist of fate that sent the Enterprise after us. And the question still remained: Why were they there? Why had they come so close twice? Why was the Federation after that particular asteroid field after not being interested in it for so long? Would they come back? Would other ships come? How long until we are discovered? The weight of responsibility was heavy on my soul and I sat, trying to will this anxiety from me, looking for anything to distract me from these questions long enough for them to melt into forgetfulness.

Fortune smiled and distraction came. There was a light rap on the door to my quarters, loud enough to get my attention and yet soft enough that it had to be repeated before I responded.

"It's open." The door softly slid aside at my voice admitting perhaps the only person who could get me out of this mood.

"I trust that I am not disturbing you, Major," Saul said as he entered.

"Nah, not at all. Have a seat. What can I do for you?" He sat again on the couch, facing me, giving me the opportunity to study him. He looked different, but I couldn't accurately tell what it was.

"I do not know exactly how to say this, or even where to begin." I recognized what was different. His eyes no longer had any trace of the confusion that I was so used to seeing in them. That startled me…could it be…?

"Just tell me." I coaxed gently, and sat forward on my chair. Could it be…? He looked straight at me.

"I know who I am." I could feel the smile growing on my face.

"Really?" I felt like laughing and shouting at the same time. "Really? Just like that?"

"Yes." His Vulcan calm never once broke, but I could see relief in his eyes, as though he didn't know how I would take it.

"So are you going to tell my your real name or am I just supposed to call you Saul for the duration of our acquaintance?"

"My name is Spock, son of Sarek, but I would prefer it if you continue to call me Saul. That is, if you do not mind, Major."

"I don't mind at all, but only if you call me Analise."

"Those terms are acceptable. Analise."

"Glad you like them. I…I hope you know that I have like a million questions that I want to bombard you with."

"I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities. However, I believe it will be less confusing if I merely tell you what I know in the order that I learned them."

"Makes sense. But I have a bad habit of interrupting narratives."

"I do not mind." I grinned and he began. "Our confrontation with the Enterprise sparked a chain of memories that would neither recede nor be made apparent while I was on the bridge, which is why I requested the leave of absence. I went to my quarters and began to meditate in the hopes that, when cleared of distraction, my mind would allow this chain to come forward. I realized that I am an officer in StarFleet."

"Yeah, I know." His head jerked upwards, startled.

"You do?" I nodded. "Then why did…?"

"I never say anything? Because I wasn't sure. We found you in a StarFleet uniform on board a standard issue shuttle craft that had no computer memory or any means of identification whatsoever. I didn't want to plant any false ideas in your head." I looked away. "I apologize for my actions, Saul. I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't know what would trigger your memories and…" I trailed off. What else could I say?

"I understand." His voice was quiet, but not devoid of emotion. "You did what you thought was best at the time, and I thank you for that. One can never be too sure of what might have been and I do not begrudge your actions, Analise, not in the slightest." I looked back at him and realized that he was sincere, not merely saying that to make me feel better. He wanted to move on, and I agreed.

"So what ship were you on?" I asked casually.

"The Enterprise." Now it was my turn to look startled.

"The…the _Enterprise_?"

"Yes."

"The ENTERPRISE, Enterprise? The ship that I just fought? Kirk's Enterprise?"

"Yes."

"Holy smoke." I started to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Holy SMOKE. You're from the Enterprise. You're an officer on the bloody Enterprise."

"I am the First Officer of the Enterprise."

"Great. That's just peachy. I've been training the bloody first officer of the damn best ship in the bloody Fed's fleet to be a scurvy pirate. This is hysterical." I was really laughing. "This is really funny."

"I fail to see what is so amusing." His voice was tinged ever so slightly with contempt. I looked up at him with mischievous eyes.

"It's just that…" I realized the futility of trying to explain what I found so funny and gave up. "Never mind." A new question popped into my head. "How did you get here?"

"I was surveying a very peculiar white dwarf star at the edge of Romulan Neutral Zone and was planning to rendezvous with the Enterprise at Starbase Six when an ion storm passed through. The shuttle was caught in the middle of it and the computer and engines began to malfunction. In the turbulence, I believe that I badly bumped my head and blacked out. When I regained consciousness I was in your sickbay, the rest you know." I let out a slow breath.

"So when the Enterprise was looking through the asteroid field near the Rock, they were probably looking for the wreckage of your craft."

"That is logical."

"But why didn't they begin the search earlier? You've been here for, what, three, four months?"

"I do not know the reason, though I can speculate. I remember that there was increased activity along the Neutral Zone just prior to my departure. It could be that the Enterprise was ordered to patrol the border in lieu of searching for me."

"Makes sense." I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling to digest all of this. Silence descended and I was deep in thought, thus Saul's next comment caught me completely off guard.

"What do you intend to do with me?" I jerked my head forward, puzzlement written all over my face.

"Whatdayamean?"

"What I said. What is it that you intend to do with me?"

"I'm gonna take you back to the Enterprise, what the hell do you think I'm gonna do?"

"That is unadvisable. I know too much about you and your organization and I am too valuable as a hostage."

"HOSTAGE? Dammit, Saul, if I wanted to use you as a hostage I would have done so at the outset. And why the hell would I do that anyway?"

"Because it is what is best."

"Oh, good grief. Look, do you want to go back to the Enterprise?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm gonna take you back."

"That action is not logical."

"Since when am I EVER logical? I'm a bloody PIRATE, for crying out loud; I don't do logic. If you want to go back, then I'm taking you back. No one stays against his will on the Assurance. And hostage bargaining is the same as slaving and I WON'T stand for that." I walked over to the com unit and punched it on. "Hannah?"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Is André up there?"

"Yes, Ma'am, one moment please." The giant's voice came on.

"Yes, Major?"

"Do we still have the coordinates of that Fed ship?" There was a pause.

"Yes, Major."

"Good, tell Pilot to get us back to that ship, warp six. Then grab Carpenter and get down here on the double, understood?"

"Yes, Major."

"Good, Harper out." I turned back to Saul, who was staring at me. "Look, André and the Doc are two of the most absolutely level headed people that I know. I'm gonna tell them exactly what you told me and if they disagree with my actions then we'll do it another way. Okay?" Saul nodded.

DXVJKE

**"Scotty, how long until we have warp speed?" **

**"It'll be another two hours at least, Cap'n. That sordid pirate ken what she was a-doin'. I've been using all this time tryin' to get the shields back up. Warp'll be a while, yet." The Chief Engineer's brogue always got thicker when he was stressed, and nothing made him stressed like someone doing damage to his Lass. **

**"Alright, but hurry, Scotty, I don't like the Enterprise having to limp." **

**"Aye, Cap'n. I'm going as fast as I can." Translated, I'll get it done in half of the promised time, but I know that even that isn't fast enough. Kirk clicked off the com unit and surveyed his bridge, thinking over what Scott told him. And it was true. Whoever this "Viper" was, she did know exactly what she was doing. Her ship was faster, stronger, and more flexible than she had first led him to believe. She had pestered him into making him chase, leaving the Enterprise without protection on her back. Her helm and weapon's personnel were superb, knowing exactly where to fire in order to cripple the Enterprise. He still didn't know why she left when they were lame or how she vanished so quickly, but he did know one thing, he was going to find her. He didn't know where or when or how, but he was going to stop that ship. Pirates with that kind of mechanical and diabolical capability were far too dangerous for the Federation Merchant ships. He had to…**

**Doctor McCoy walked onto the bridge, data pad in his hand, and headed right for Kirk. **

**"I got that casualty report you wanted, Jim." He handed the pad to the captain, and leaned against the rail while Kirk perused it. "No fatalities, thank goodness, but we got a lot of radiation burns, some broken limbs, and bumps here and there. Nothing too bad, but, hell, whoever heard of a pirate ship beating a Star Cruiser?" **

**"I don't know, Bones. I keep replaying what happened, but I just don't understand it. It's like she was only playing at half strength. Why didn't she just blow us out of the water? And why run when we were crippled? It just doesn't make any—."**

**"Keptin, long range scanners are picking up a large wessel headed to us at varp six, sair." Chekov's voice from the science station made Kirk wish that his First Officer were here. Her long stay on the Neutral Zone had kept the Enterprise from getting a new Executive Officer for the past four months, but Kirk knew that no one could EVER replace Spock. **

**"Go to red alert, shields up. Sulu what weapons do we have?" The helm officer was about to answer when Lt. Uhura interrupted. **

**"Captain, I am receiving a hail from the ship."**

**"Put it on the main viewer, Lieutenant." He turned to face the screen and anger welled up within him. There, lounging in the com chair of the approaching ship, was the young lady who called herself "Viper". **

**"This is Captain James—."**

**"I know who you are, Captain, come on, gimme a little credit." Her voice didn't have the biting sarcasm from the previous encounter, but that didn't soften Kirk's demeanor at all.**

**"Come to finish us off?" **

**"Ouch. Dude, you weren't this bitter before."**

**"You lamed my ship."**

**"I did what I had to do, alright? Just be happy that I didn't come over there and beat the crap out of you in person. Good grief." Kirk bristled at that remark. **

**"What do you want?" His clipped tone divulged the tight reign he had on his anger. **

**"I want to return something that you lost. And would a little courtesy kill ya?" **

**"What?"**

**"Well, you're acting like I insulted your mother. Yeesh, all I did was—."**

**"No, I mean, what are you…returning, if that's really what you're doing." He didn't even try to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.**

**"What, you don't trust me?" **

**"Are you a pirate?" **

**"Yes."**

**"Then, no, I don't trust you." The "Viper" blinked, and then, oddly, began to laugh. Not the derisive kind of laughter that he had heard before, but a real, amused, contagious kind of laughter. She turned to someone that Kirk couldn't see and began to have a conversation, of which he could only hear her side. **

**"Man, he really is skeptical…yeah, I guess so…well, I'm obviously not gonna get through to him…um, duh, he just said so…look, he knows you, why don't you just talk to him." A solitary figure moved onscreen from the left and stood in front of the view screen. Kirk stood up; while trying and failing to keep the shock and relief out of his voice.**

**"Spock…?" The Vulcan cocked his head in that oh so familiar way.**

**"Captain. I am glad to see that you are in good health." **

**"How did…how come…what happened?"**

**"All in good time, sir, but I do not believe that those questions are answerable over this channel." He turned back to look at the young lady, who was sitting forward, leaning on her arms with a very amused look on her face. Spock looked back at the view screen. "I believe, Captain, that it would be best if you and the Major discuss terms." Kirk did not like the sound of that word. Would he have to bargain for Spock's safety? The Vulcan stepped back off screen and the young lady (did Spock call her "Major"?) stood up. She spoke first.**

**"Right, terms. Very simple. You agree to a truce and I'll beam over with Sa…Spock, say goodbye, I'll beam back and be on my merry way. Sound good?" The shock of seeing Spock alive and so close was quickly wearing off. Kirk still had to deal with a renegade, exceedingly crafty, pirate. **

**"How can I be sure that you won't shoot me the minute my shields are down?"**

**"Uh, Dude? What part of 'Truce' are you not understanding?" Kirk scowled. Even if Spock was on board, she was still a pirate, and he didn't trust pirates. She sighed. "Look, truces are very simple, okay? The rules for them are set down in the Pirate Code from Earth's late 15th to early 19th centuries. All pirates, including myself, use it for calling truces, okay dude? Go look it up in your library and follow along as I formally begin terms. I'll wait until you're ready." She grasped her hands behind her back and began to rock back and forth on her toes as she waited. Kirk turned to Uhura and motioned for her to mute the communication. He turned to McCoy. **

**"What do you think, Bones?"**

**"Well, that is definitely Spock, I'd know that mule headed Vulcan anywhere. But that lady's still a pirate, Jim, I wouldn't trust her."**

**"I have no intention to."**

**"So whatareya gonna do?"**

**"Read along. Ensign Chekov, can you pull up the Code that—." The Russian handed a data pad to Kirk before he finished. **

**"I pulled it up vile the Cossack vas speaking, sair." Chekov turned back to the science station and added, "I believe that that Code is of Russian inwention." Kirk almost smiled and began to flip through the Code. He turned back to Uhura and nodded for her to reestablish communications with the pirate ship.**

**"Alright, we're ready." **

**"Good. Ahem." She got a far away look in her eyes, like a child reciting lessons at school. "'The Pirate Code, established in the Year of Our Lord, Fourteen Hundred Ninety Nine by the United Brotherhood of Jolly Roger, which all Pirate Captains are sworn to live and lead by, which all Pirate Crews are to pillage and loot by, which all Pirate Ships sail under and are bound by, that there may be some semblance of order and gentlemanly behavior in the course of our actions. On the Nature and Rules of Truces between Vessels,' and this is page fourteen, section three, Captain. 'If, during the life and run of a pirate ship, there arises a need to perform a truce between pirate ship and another or pirate ship and a merchant vessel or pirate ship and military vessel, herein lies the rules that the captain of said pirate ship is to establish and maintain said truce.' I am now skipping to page twenty-one, subsection three, 'On Truces between Pirate Ship and Military Vessel. When circumstances arise so that a Pirate Ship (hereafter termed Pirate) and a Military Vessel (hereafter termed Pohm) are forced to form an equal truce, these are the terms that must be upheld by both Pirate and Pohm. First, both ships are to run up white flags, symbolizing their peaceful intentions, and flags symbolizing their nationality (seeming how the Pirate has no nationality, the Pirate shall fly the Jolly Roger). The ships shall then remove from deck all hand held forms of weaponry and from below deck all semblance of ship's weaponry. Both Pirate and Pohm shall run broadside of each other and each shall extend one and only one boarding plank. The two emissaries, one from Pirate, one from Pohm, and any seconds agreed upon earlier, shall meet and discuss what ever needs discussion. When discussion has terminated, both emissaries (and seconds if any) shall return to their ships of origin, boarding planks shall be removed and both ships shall sail in opposite directions until neither can see the other. When both ships have removed each other from sight, the truce shall be considered peacefully terminated and neither Pirate nor Pohm shall be bound by its rules. If, during the period of truce, one side physically attacks the other, the attacked side shall consider the truce terminated and is allowed to swarm and destroy the attacking side without fear of retribution. The attacking side shall be seen as the provocateur of the confrontation and treated as a Criminal of War, as stated under section two On the Nature of War between Pirate Ship and Other. This concludes the terms agreed upon by the United Brotherhood of the Jolly Roger under the heading of Truces.' Do you understand the terms, Captain?" **

**"I believe so, may I run them by you to make sure I got it all straight?" Kirk had been reading along, and found that this "major" quoted what the Code said verbatim. The fact that everything here was so stylized and exact had softened Kirk's demeanor a bit. **

**"Certainly." The pirate commander also seemed to be decidedly civilized after reciting all that. **

**"So, we both lower our shields and power down our weapons, you and Spock will come onboard the Enterprise, we'll talk. Then you'll leave and when we both get out of scanning distance of each other, the truce is considered canceled. If I make any physical threat to your person or your ship, you'll fire on us and the Federation cannot take vengeance, and vice versa."**

**"That is correct. Do you agree to the terms for truce?"**

**"I do."**

**"Let the crews of both ships, and the ship's manifests, hold testimony to the terms stated. Are you prepared for the truce to begin?"**

**"I am."**

**"Then let the truce begin at this time." She nodded to someone else off screen. Kirk looked up to Chekov to see if they were really lowering their shields and weapons. The Russian affirmed and Kirk nodded at Sulu to lower the Enterprise's shields and weapons. He turned back to the view screen.**

**"When would you like to beam over?"**

**"Three minutes?"**

**"Fine."**

**"Good. See you then." The screen flipped back to an image of the Pirate Ship. **

DXVJKE

**Kirk, McCoy, and Lt. Kyle were in the transporter room, waiting for the three minutes to be up. When they were, down to the last second, the familiar golden beam whirled to life and two figures appeared on the platform. One was of a young woman with dark black hair, ice white skin, and the coldest gray eyes imaginable. She was dressed in blue jeans, a high collared black shirt, a long black sleeveless trench coat, and black boots. The other figure was the one that Kirk had longed to see for four months. The Vulcan's tall frame was dressed in unfamiliar clothing, blue jeans and a dark brown jacket, the only thing standard issue were his boots. Even his hair was different, longer than normal and slightly covering the customary points and the edges of his high swept eyebrows. But no matter how he looked, he was still recognizable. **

**"Spock. Welcome back to the Enterprise." Kirk couldn't help but grin at the return of his long lost friend. The Vulcan stepped down from the platform. **

**"Captain. I regret that I am out of uniform."**

**"Damn the uniform, Spock," McCoy bit back. "You had us worried half to death."**

**"You need not have been, Doctor, I was in good hands." He turned back to face the young lady, who still hadn't stepped off the platform. "Captain, Doctor, this is Major Harper, commanding officer of the Crimson Assurance and the one responsible for saving my life. Major, this is my commanding officer, Captain James Kirk and the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Leonard McCoy." The Major stepped off the platform and shook hands with the two StarFleet officers. She looked directly at Kirk.**

**"I hope you know what a hell of a good officer you have here, Captain. And you better treat him well, 'cause I told Saul that if he ever gets dissatisfied with life here, he's always welcome back with us."**

**"I don't think that I'll ever be able to repay you for what you've done, Major."**

**"Dude, don't. Just promise me something, okay?"**

**"What?"**

**"Keep doing what you're doing. Don't change your principles and keep this a haven for the down trodden. If you can do that, then that's thanks enough." Kirk didn't quite understand what that meant, but he was so joyful to have Spock back that he didn't really care. **

**"We'll try. Can I invite you to stay?"**

**"On a Fed ship? Nah, dude. I'm feeling myself going straight just standing here. And I've got a ship to run. So I'll have to take my leave."**

**"Thank you. If you ever need—." **

**"I won't, but thanks anyway." She remounted the platform. "Captain, Doctor, it was a pleasure to meet both of you. Happy sailing."**

**"Thank you, Major, and the same." She turned towards Spock, and saluted him in the Vulcan way.**

**"Live long and prosper, Spock son of Sarek." He returned the salute.**

**"Peace and long life, Analise daughter of Elayo. May the Crimson Assurance fly well." The major grinned as the transporter beam pulled her away.**

**"She always does."**

DXVJKE

Well, that's it. I hope that everyone is satisfied and all. And I shall try my utmost to have the epilogue and sequal up by Saturday of this week, so please stay tuned. If I totally let you down and you're itching to find out some aspects of Keath's life or what happens next, do tell me in a review and I shall try to incorperate it into the sequal. Thank you all so very much for reading this, I couldn't ask for a better bunch of reviewers.  
Live Long and Prosper,  
DarkX


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Star Trek.

**The last batch of notes for my EXCELLENT reviewers:**

**Ariennye Dhivae Argelia:** To every end there is another beginning and to every beginning there is eventually an end. But I am most pleased that you found great delight along the way. Thank you for the complements for my writing style and my "talent" (though I doubt that there is much there...). I enjoyed having your criticism and encouragement along this journey. Thank you.  
**Lucillia:** A NEW REVIEWER (does Happy Dance). I am sad that this is the only time thatI can add your name to the list, but stillI thank you for your praise. I do hope that you will come and read the sequal...  
**Karlina Ellison: **When you do catch up, I hope that you have enjoyed what you have read. Thank you for enjoying my story and telling me so. I am again saddened that I will only have this one oppertunity to thank you for reviewing, but I hope for more oppertunities if you follow the instructions at the end of this epilogue.  
**For Schematization, Onaleia, and MuffinsAreLoose: **I sincerely thank you for coming in and telling me what you enjoy and what you wishto see more of. Getting reviews in my box on this story was pure joy because of the level of encouragement that you have given me (And that goes to all my other reviewers). Thank you for sticking around for so long, and I hope to see you soon...

The Last bit for this story...

Epilogue

Yet, There's Always Tomorrow

When I stepped off the transporter platform, I knew that there was a difference on the Assurance. Saul was only here for four months, but it felt so much longer. I saw him as a part of my crew, a part that was now missing. And then I remembered Kirk. For all his stick-in-the-mud-follow-the-rules-do-as-you're-told-Federation-mannerism, I could relate with him. The emotion, the relief, the joy that I saw in his face when he saw that Saul was alive showed me that Saul was needed on the Enterprise more than he was needed on the Assurance. The few moments that I stood on that ship told me that Saul belonged there and I could not hinder that.

Carpenter and André were of the firm opinion that Saul had to go back, and told me so the moment that explanations had ceased…was it only a few hours ago? We were able to convince Saul that he was going back to the Enterprise unconditionally, with one exception. I asked, not demanded, that he hold his silence about the nature and location of the Rock. Something that he readily agreed to.

And now he was gone; but not entirely. I could still sense him in the corners of my mind, reminding me who I was and why I did what I did. That moment, when he was in my mind, had given me more purpose for my life than any other contact with any other living being in the twenty some years of my life. It was a moment that I treasured, even though it pained me at the time.

I was sitting in my room, my music blaring, allowing oblivion to creep over me. But it was not the mind numbing oblivion that I desired that day of the slave raid, this time it was almost joyful. It was intangible but I knew that I was somehow different. Saul's stay on the Assurance had changed me, and I was glad for it.

I don't know how many hours passed as I reviewed the events of these four months, but I think it was a good deal of time, because when the computer terminal bleeped at me, it was hard to come back to this side of consciousness. I shook my head to wake myself up and moved over to the terminal, which was continuing its annoying bleep for as long as I ignored it. I was expecting that someone had sent me one of those stupid memos that no one reads but everyone feels necessary to send me because I'm the CO. I was thus surprised when, upon pulling up my mail screen, I found a real letter. My puzzlement quickly turned to happiness, though, as I read its contents.

To: CACOcrimassurance.pir

From: CmdrSpockenterprise.sf.fed

Analise,

Greetings.

I hope that you do not find my writing you to be to forward. André was most insistent that you would find this correspondence agreeable, and thus gave to me your address.

I wish to extend my thanks to you, though I am reminded that doing so is not logical, but I thank you all the same. Your kindness to me was unnecessary, but not unappreciated, and I am honored to have been a member of your crew, even though it was for a short period of time. My stay on the Assurance was most enjoyable. Your crew was quick to take me in, though I was quite the alien, and patiently explain to me the inner-workings of your ship.

You yourself were perhaps that which, to use a human phrase, "kept me going". You gave me an easy and open life to assimilate to while I was struggling to find my own. Your actions were puzzling to me at times, and, as you frequently told me, you are not logical, but even so I am, I am glad that you befriended me.

I must inform you, however, that I do not believe that piracy is a life that I can conform to, and, though I found my time on the Assurance profitable, I believe that I will stay aboard the Enterprise for the remainder of my career. I therefore decline your invitation. And I do ask that you be not alarmed for the safety of the Rock, I shall never reveal its location for the duration of my life. Upon that, you have my solemn word.

My mother told me once that the art of correspondence is spent in answering and then asking questions, in a form of volley. The only question that I can ask, which I have hope you will not immediately dismiss as "boring", is the following, though I hope that you are not offended by it. How did you become the commanding officer of the Crimson Assurance?

I must draw this letter to a close, as my shift begins soon. I shall end, then, with my thanks once again; you have done a service to me that I can never even hope to repay.

Live long and prosper,

Spock

DXVJKE

There it is, the end. But, as I already said, every end promises new beginnings and so it is my pleasure to announce that I have posted the sequal to Flight. It is called Welcome to my Life: the Birth of the Crimson Assuranceand gives the roots of the Assurance: Keath's younger life, how she met Andre, how she got the Assurance, why Carpenter got mixed up in all this, her first raid, and the like. So if you want to know these dark secrets, or you just want to read more about the Assurance gang, I strongly suggest that you read it. To find it, first REVIEW THIS CHAPTER, then go and click the tab with my name on it up in the top lefthand corner, go down my bio page unto you come across "Welcome to my Life" click that and enjoy (Or you could just search for the thing, I don't really care). If you care not to, then I thank you for reading, hope that you review, and bid farewell. Thank you all for reading and I do hope that you enjoyed my essay into the realm of Piracy and amnesiac Vulcans.  
Peace and Long Life,  
DarkX


End file.
